Senior Recital: Matthew Richards, double bass

This recital is presented in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree Bachelor of Music in Music Education. Mr. Richards studies double bass with James Barket.https://digitalcommons.kennesaw.edu/musicprograms/1167/thumbnail.jp

To submit or not submit: The burden of evaluation on postgraduate medical trainees

Purpose Academic centers utilize web-based surveillance systems to administer their evaluations, but little is known about their impact on the evaluation responsibilities delegated to medical residents. Method Using a mixed-methods approach, a retrospective content analysis was conducted of the evaluation activities experienced by a cohort of 29 residents as they completed their training in general internal medicine from 2009-2012. These data were triangulated with group interviews conducted with current internal medicine residents in 2012-2013. Results The internal medicine program electronically requested that its residents complete 8,614 evaluation reports on clinical faculty, curriculum, and junior trainees (345 requests annually per resident). Residents reported feeling overwhelmed by their ongoing evaluation workload, and admitted that their motivation to submit high-quality appraisals was dissipating. Residents perceived that their program valued certain evaluations more than others, and this was a major factor in their decision regarding whether or not they would eventually submit an appraisal. Feedback submitted on program evaluation related appraisals were viewed as having the least value, and residents were significantly less likely to submit these evaluations. Conclusions Although web-based surveillance systems are efficient in distributing thousands of evaluations, residency programs to engage in ongoing vigilance of the unintended consequences associated with their use

REVIEWS: Professional Materials

Jerry L. Johns (1991). Basic Reading Inventory; Children\u27s Books: Merry Christmas, Amanda and April; Chicken Man; All the Lights in the Night; Jack and the Beanstalk; The Swineherd; The Worst Person\u27s Christmas; That\u27s Exactly the Way it Wasn’t; An Auto Mechanic, A Carpenter, A Potter; Meredith\u27s Mother Takes the Trai

Genome Characterization and Annotation of a Cluster S Bacteriophage

Bacteriophages (phages) are viruses that infect their host and cannot reproduce independently outside of them. The application of bacteriophages in the biotechnology and medical sectors has recently increased, including uses as a potential antibacterial agent and CRISPR technology. In this project, the 48,667 to 58,636 base pair region (genes 87-98) of the Corazon phage genome was annotated by five student researchers at Purdue University. Corazon, a cluster S phage was isolated at Lafayette College in Easton, PA. Corazon belongs to the Siphoviridae morphotype and its genome consists of 109 genes. In this study, gene locations were called using evidence consisting of alignment results, coding potential, and comparison to other phage genomes using DNAMaster, NCBI Blast, Phamerator, HHPred, Starterator. The annotation of a genome consists of confidently assigning start sites and functions to genes based on evidence obtained from auto-annotation of the genome and additional evidence collected based on the genome cluster and similar calls in other phages. Notable functions include minor tail proteins, which are found in the tail fiber or sheath of the phage, and HNH endonuclease, which is a component of the phage packaging machinery. Many of the genes annotated have no known function based on the collected evidence but additional research may yield alternative results and additional uses. Further research of bacteriophage genetics allows deeper investigation and heightened understanding of their possible uses

The Impact of an Adapted Climbing Program on Children with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder impacts children’s participation in activities that require attention to instruction, sustained mental effort, and executive functioning. Physical activity has been correlated to improvement in attention in children with ADHD. Rock climbing challenges muscular endurance, attention, and route planning. Five participants, aged 8-13, participated in the climbing program. Attention was measured pre and post climbing intervention with Trail Making Test B (TMT-B) for time to complete. Exercise intensity was measured by heart rate. Parent feedback on behavior was collected with the Conner’s Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). The social validity of the intervention was measured by the IRP-15 measures. Statistically, significant intrasession attention improvements were noted in all 5 climbers (p=.43). Two climbers were consistently working at a moderate intensity (40-60% HRmax) while 3 climbers maintained a light level of intensity (20-40% HRmax). No statistically significant improvements were found on the CPRS, although improvements are noted with qualitative reports from parents. The IRP-15 showed 100% of parents believed rock climbing was an effective intervention for their children with ADHD. Rock climbing at a light to moderate intensity is associated with improvements in attention and behavior in children with ADHD

Peer assessment of outpatient consultation letters – feasibility and satisfaction

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Written correspondence is one of the most important forms of communication between health care providers, yet there is little feedback provided to specialists. The objective of this study was to determine the feasibility and satisfaction of a peer assessment program on consultation letters and to determine inter-rater reliability between family physicians and specialists.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A rating scale of nine 5-point Likert scale items including specific content, style items, education value of the letter and an overall rating was developed from a previous validated tool.</p> <p>Nine Internal Medicine specialists/subspecialists from two tertiary care centres submitted 10 letters with patient and physician identifiers removed. Two Internal Medicine specialists, and 2 family physicians from the other centre rated each letter (to protect writer anonymity). A satisfaction survey was sent to each writer and rater after collation of the results. A follow-up survey was sent 6–8 months later.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>There was a high degree of satisfaction with the process and feedback. The rating scale information was felt to be useful and appropriate for evaluating the quality of consultation letters by 6/7 writers. 5/7 seven writers felt that the feedback they received resulted in immediate changes to their letters. Six months later, 6/9 writers indicated they had maintained changes in their letters.</p> <p>Raters rank ordered letters similarly (Cronbach's alpha 0.57–0.84) but mean scores were highly variant. At site 1 there were significant differences in scoring brevity (p < 0.01) between family physician and specialist raters; whereas, at site 2 there were differences in scoring of history (p < 0.01), physical examination (p < 0.01) and educational value (p < 0.01) of the letter.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Most participants found peer assessment of letters feasible and beneficial and longstanding changes occurred in some individuals. Family physicians and specialists appear to have different expectations on some items. Further studies on reliability and validity, with a larger sample, are required before high stakes professional assessments include consultation letters.</p

Mind the gap: diversity and reactivity relationships among multihaem cytochromes of the MtrA/DmsE family

Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 has the ability to use many external terminal electron acceptors during anaerobic respiration, such as DMSO. The pathway that facilitates this electron transfer includes the decahaem cytochrome DmsE, a paralogue of the MtrA family of decahaem cytochromes. Although both DmsE and MtrA are decahaem cytochromes implicated in the long-range electron transfer across a ~300 Å (1 Å=0.1 nm) wide periplasmic ‘gap’, MtrA has been shown to be only 105 Å in maximal length. In the present paper, DmsE is further characterized via protein film voltammetry, revealing that the electrochemistry of the DmsE haem cofactors display macroscopic potentials lower than those of MtrA by 100 mV. It is possible this tuning of the redox potential of DmsE is required to shuttle electrons to the outer-membrane proteins specific to DMSO reduction. Other decahaem cytochromes found in S. oneidensis, such as the outer-membrane proteins MtrC, MtrF and OmcA, have been shown to have electrochemical properties similar to those of MtrA, yet possess a different evolutionary relationship.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant MCB 0546323)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant CHE 0840418)Research Corporation for Science Advancement (Scialog Award)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant F32GM904862

Point-of-sale tobacco advertising in Beirut, Lebanon following a national advertising ban

Abstract Background The objective of this study was to conduct an audit of point-of-sale (POS) tobacco advertising and assess compliance with an advertising ban in a large district of Beirut, Lebanon. Methods The audit was conducted 3 months following the ban on tobacco advertising. Trained students observed all tobacco retail outlets (n = 100) and entered data into a web-based form using iPad® technology. Presence of tobacco advertisements was assessed to determine compliance with the national advertising ban. Results Among the 100 tobacco retail outlets, 62% had tobacco advertisements, including 7% with a tobacco brand logo as part of the main exterior store sign. Conclusions POS tobacco advertising is widespread in Beirut despite the national advertising ban. These findings point to an urgent need for the enforcement of the advertisement ban with tobacco retail outlets in Lebanon