How Can We Know the Dance from the Dance?: Exploring the Complexity of Staging Dance Legacy Works

Staging works from our rich concert dance heritage relies on determining what the “real” dance is, particularly when the work is no longer currently performed. Because choreographers frequently alter their choreography, creating multiple versions of a dance, identification of a definitive version can be a complex process. Adding to the complexity, there is the involvement of the stager, performers, and the audience who are each active or passive participants in the ultimate performance of a work. Through conversations with prominent stagers, scholarly discourse, and personal experience, the author investigates some of the key concerns and questions regarding staging dance legacy works in concert dance

How Can We Know the Dance from the Dance?: Exploring the Complexity of Staging Dance Legacy Works

Staging works from our rich concert dance heritage relies on determining what the “real” dance is, particularly when the work is no longer currently performed. Because choreographers frequently alter their choreography, creating multiple versions of a dance, identification of a definitive version can be a complex process. Adding to the complexity, there is the involvement of the stager, performers, and the audience who are each active or passive participants in the ultimate performance of a work. Through conversations with prominent stagers, scholarly discourse, and personal experience, the author investigates some of the key concerns and questions regarding staging dance legacy works in concert dance

Reducing School Dropout Rates Through Early Identification of Students at Risk

Students who drop out of school may face a host of poor outcomes in life. Literature shows that dropping out of school is evident in the middle and elementary school years through many indicators. Some of these warning signs including poor attendance, engagement in learning, and behavior have been widely studied. Statistical data-driven systems used in some school jurisdictions show only the presence of indicators; they do not reveal the impact on learning, nor do they explore the reasons for the presence of the indicator(s). This paper is a call to action to implement identification of students in middle school at risk of dropping out. The use of individualized holistic identification approaches may more accurately identify students at risk as well as inform interventions

The Accuracy of Accredited Glaucoma Optometrists in the Diagnosis and Treatment Recommendation for Glaucoma

Background/aims: To compare the diagnostic performance of accredited glaucoma optometrists (AGO) for both the diagnosis of, and decision to treat glaucoma with that of routine hospital eye care against a reference standard of expert opinion, i.e. consultant ophthalmologist with a special interest in glaucoma. Methods: A directly comparative, masked, performance study was performed in Grampian, Scotland. 165 people were invited to participate and, of those, 100 (61%) were examined. People suspected of having glaucoma underwent a full ophthalmic assessment both in a newly established, community optometry led, glaucoma management scheme and in a consultant led hospital eye service within a month. Results: The agreement between the AGO and the consultant ophthalmologist in the diagnosis of glaucoma was substantial (89%, kappa = 0.703, SE=0.083). The agreement regarding the need for treatment was also substantial (88%, kappa = 0.716, SE =0.076). The agreement between the trainee ophthalmologists and the consultant ophthalmologist in the diagnosis of glaucoma and treatment recommendation were moderate (83%, kappa = 0.541, SE = 0.098, SE = 0.98; and 81%, kappa = 0.553, SE = 0.90, respectively). The diagnostic accuracy of the optometrists in detecting glaucoma in this population was high for specificity (0.93 [95% CI 0.85 to 0.97]) but lower for sensitivity at 0.76 (95% CI 0.57 to 0.89). The performance was similar when accuracy was assessed for treatment recommendation (sensitivity, 0.73[95% CI 0.57 to 0.85]; specificity 0.96[95% CI 0.88 to 0.99]). The differences in sensitivity and specificity between AGO and junior ophthalmologist was not statistically significant.Conclusions: Community optometrists trained in glaucoma provided satisfactory decisions regarding diagnosis and initiation of treatment for glaucoma. With such additional training in glaucoma optometrists are at least as accurate as junior ophthalmologists but some cases of glaucoma missed.Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish Executive Health Departmen

Transitions from Undergraduate to Taught Postgraduate Study: Emotion, Integration and Ambiguity

The notion and terminology of ‘transition(s)’ have long dominated discussions of pathways from youth to adulthood and have increasingly come to characterise the educational journeys people make, with a strong emphasis on the shift from schooling to undergraduate study. However, the transitional experiences of postgraduate students have been significantly overlooked with powerful presumptions around postgraduate students being educational ‘experts’ and ‘naturals’ obscuring the often highly challenging nature of their transitions. The lack of literature in this field is most pronounced around the taught postgraduate (PGT) population, about whom the least is known. This is due in part to ambiguousness around PGT study itself (Glazer-Raymo, 2005) which falls between the clearly-defined undergraduate and doctoral degrees, and has been declared as the “forgotten sector” (Millward, 2015) of higher education.  This paper addresses this gap in understanding by synthesising the available literature on PGT transitions, and on postgraduate transitions more generally, alongside qualitative focus group data from a small-scale project with Masters students and supervisors conducted at a Scottish university. It finds that transitions to PGT education are complex, emotional and challenging for most students, and highlights some institutional practices that can isolate, confuse and hinder the progress of Masters students.  Thus, the paper argues that, contrary to conventional assumptions, transitions from undergraduate to PGT education are not inevitably straightforward and can be characterised, at least initially, by anxiety, self-doubt and disorientation. Key challenges for Masters students do not necessarily relate to the higher learning materials, but the lack of clarity around what PGT level study entails and the limited opportunities for integration and sense of belonging. Greater clarity of expectations and earlier feedback, alongside peer support, can help to smooth transitions to postgraduate study. The paper also highlights the particularly difficult transitions of students unfamiliar to the university and identifies challenges specific to funded and non-funded students

Variation in ampicillin dosing for lower respiratory tract infections and neonatal bacterial infections in US children\u27s hospitals

OBJECTIVE: We examined ampicillin dosing in pediatric patients across 3 conditions: (1) bacterial lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) in infants and children \u3e3 months, (2) neonates with suspected or proven sepsis, and (3) neonates with suspected central nervous system (CNS) infections. We compared our findings to dosing guidance for these specific indications. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: The study included data from 32 children\u27s hospitals in the United States. METHODS: We reviewed prescriptions from the SHARPS study of antimicrobials, a survey of antibiotic prescribing from July 2016 to December 2017. Prescriptions were analyzed for indication, total daily dose per kilogram, and presence of antimicrobial stewardship program (ASP) review. LRTI prescriptions were compared to IDSA recommendations for community-acquired pneumonia. Neonatal prescriptions were compared to recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Prescriptions were categorized as optimal (80%-120% of recommended dosing), suboptimal (\u3c80% of recommended dosing), or excessive (\u3e120% of recommended dosing). RESULTS: Among 1,038 ampicillin prescriptions, we analyzed 88 prescriptions for LRTI, 499 prescriptions for neonatal sepsis, and 27 prescriptions for neonatal CNS infection. Of the LRTI prescriptions, 77.3%were optimal. Of prescriptions for neonatal sepsis, 81.6% were excessive compared to AAP bacteremia recommendations but 78.8% were suboptimal compared to AAP meningitis guidelines. Also, 48.1% of prescriptions for neonatal CNS infection were suboptimal, and 50.6% of prescriptions were not reviewed by the ASP. CONCLUSIONS: LRTI dosing is generally within the IDSA-recommended range. However, dosing for neonatal sepsis often exceeds the recommendation for bacteremia but is below the recommendation for meningitis. This variability points to an important opportunity for future antimicrobial stewardship efforts

Regionalizing Government in Maine: Opportunities for the Future

In keeping with his promise to make government work better for the people of Maine, Governor Angus King commissioned the Task Force on Regional Options for Better Government. The Governor charged the task force with recommending some alternative regional arrangements for the delivery of government services currently provided by state or local government. The task force evaluated three services in which regionalism offered some advantages: economic development; demand response transportation; and municipal management information systems

Pathogenic Mutations in Cancer-Predisposing Genes: A Survey of 300 Patients with Whole-Genome Sequencing and Lifetime Electronic Health Records

Background: It is unclear whether and how whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data can be used to implement genomic medicine. Our objective is to retrospectively evaluate whether WGS can facilitate improving prevention and care for patients with susceptibility to cancer syndromes. Methods and Findings: We analyzed genetic mutations in 60 autosomal dominant cancer-predisposition genes in 300 deceased patients with WGS data and nearly complete long-term (over 30 years) medical records. To infer biological insights from massive amounts of WGS data and comprehensive clinical data in a short period of time, we developed an in-house analysis pipeline within the SeqHBase software framework to quickly identify pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. The clinical data of the patients who carried pathogenic and/or likely pathogenic variants were further reviewed to assess their clinical conditions using their lifetime EHRs. Among the 300 participants, 5 (1.7%) carried pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in 5 cancer-predisposing genes: one in APC, BRCA1, BRCA2, NF1, and TP53 each. When assessing the clinical data, each of the 5 patients had one or more different types of cancers, fully consistent with their genetic profiles. Among these 5 patients, 2 died due to cancer while the others had multiple disorders later in their lifetimes; however, they may have benefited from early diagnosis and treatment for healthier lives, had the patients had genetic testing in their earlier lifetimes. Conclusions: We demonstrated a case study where the discovery of pathogenic or likely pathogenic germline mutations from population-wide WGS correlates with clinical outcome. The use of WGS may have clinical impacts to improve healthcare delivery

Bridging brains: Exploring neurosexism and gendered stereotypes in a mindsport

Ingrained gendered discourses about women’s abilities and skills impact on their participation in leisure and sport. This paper argues that gendered stereotyping extends to the serious leisure context of mindsport in the form of neurosexism. The card game bridge is played by a roughly equal proportion of men and women but at elite-level male players significantly outperform female players worldwide. Based on 52 semi-structured interviews, the paper explores the everyday gendered assumptions that exist and are reproduced by elite bridge players. Many of the research participants draw on ideas of male brains being more rational, logical and competitive whereas women’s brains are perceived to be more emotive, unfocused and uncompetitive. These gendered stereotypes are used to explain and defend why more women are not playing at elite level. Such neurosexist and behaviourist assumptions actively reproduce inequality within mindsport to the detriment of women bridge players. This article shows that neurosexism reinforces ongoing, systemic inequalities around gendered experiences of serious leisure, thereby reproducing gendered inequalities and hindering greater participation and inclusion in mindsport

Crystal cookery – using high-throughput technologies and the grocery store as a teaching tool

Using high-throughput crystallization screening technologies and data analysis, an educational program has been developed to teach the scientific method through crystallization and access to a grocery store, a post office and the internet