USE OF A MATCHING ALGORITHM IN THE ADMISSION PROCESS OF GENETIC COUNSELING PROGRAMS

Genetic counselors are health professionals specially trained in medical genetics and counseling. Twenty-nine master's level genetic counseling training programs exist in North America and collectively admit approximately 195 students each year. Continuation of the education and training of these specialized health professionals has significant public health importance. The existing admissions process has recently proven to be labor intensive and time consuming, with difficulty encountered while trying to fill programs. As a result of these obstacles, an alternative admissions procedure was explored. The match algorithm used by U.S. medical residency programs was used as a basis for this study. Under this system, software utilizes rank order lists submitted by programs and applicants to place the two parties into the most mutually beneficial program-applicant pairings. Twenty-seven genetic counseling programs and 166 current first year students participated in a survey that gathered program and student preferences. In addition, interest, opinions, and suggestions concerning the existing and proposed admissions system were ascertained. Due to incomplete student participation in the study, the U.S. residency match algorithm was modified. Compared with the existing admissions process, the match resulted in more programs (4 of 27) with unfilled slots, and approximately equal student satisfaction in terms of which program they were matched to. The accuracy of the modified match results is limited due to the match modifications and insufficient number of study participants. The majority of students (66%) indicated they would not be willing to participate in a match and 75% indicated they were satisfied or very satisfied with the existing admissions process. Program directors were largely satisfied with the existing process (81%). Benefits of a match may include: time efficiency, reduction in anxiety, and ease of process. Both students and program directors perceived barriers to the implementation of a match, including the problem of financial aid distribution under a match, the operating costs, and loss of decision making ability. Both groups suggested improvements for the existing admissions process. Suggestions included introduction of a universal application and an earlier notification date for admissions decisions. This study serves as a collection of data to be used for further investigation into the use of a matching algorithm in genetic counseling admissions

There\u27s No Stopping Us Now! Why Systematic Staff Training Keeps the Organization Moving Forward

Libraries have shifted from repositories of materials to centers of innovation and community-based learning. Many library services changed to accommodate the shift; some staff find this difficult and perplexing and it has led to technological wariness and resistance to change. To address this we developed a continuous in-house professional development program. We will discuss barriers and enablers to establishing a program and unintended benefits, such as reducing perceived inequalities among staff, increasing trust, and empowering staff

Rape Culture

https://digitalcommons.chapman.edu/feminist_zines/1047/thumbnail.jp

Non-destructive methods to assess health of wild tropical frogs (túngara frogs: <i>Engystomops pustulosus</i>) in Trinidad reveal negative impacts of agricultural land

Amphibians are threatened globally with at least 43% of species declining and the most important stressor being habitat loss or degradation. Amphibians inhabiting highly biodiverse tropical regions are disproportionately threatened; however, the effects of landscape alterations on amphibian health are virtually unknown. In this study, we utilised non-destructive techniques to compare size (weight, snout-vent length [SVL]), body condition, male secondary sexual features (forelimb width, nuptial pad length) and breeding success (egg number, fertility [percentage fertilised eggs], hatching success) in túngara frogs (Engystomops pustulosus) collected from reference (n = 5), suburban (n = 6) and agricultural (n = 4) sites in Trinidad; characterised by presence/absence of crops/houses. All measured endpoints were negatively impacted in frogs collected from agricultural sites. The largest effect was observed for hatching success (2.77-fold lower) and egg number (2.5-fold lower). Less pronounced effects were observed on male frogs (weight: 1.77-fold lower; SVL: 1.18-fold lower; forelimb width: 1.33-fold lower; nuptial pad length: 1.15-fold lower). Our findings demonstrate negative impacts of agricultural sites on túngara frog health, with the number of viable offspring reduced by almost one third. The methods outlined here are technically simple and low-cost and thereby have potential for application to other species in order to investigate the potential impacts of habitat degradation on amphibian health. Furthermore, as these methods are non-destructive, they could be used to investigate the potential contribution of frog size and/or reproductive capability as a causative factor contributing to population declines in threatened species, which is particularly pressing in tropical regions. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11356-022-20105-4

Filling the gaps in physician communication. The role of the Internet among primary care patients

BACKGROUND: Millions of people use the Internet as a source for health information yet little is understood about how the use of the Internet for health information is related to the doctor-patient relationship. OBJECTIVE: We conducted the present study to understand the association between one’s interest in using the Internet for general and quality-oriented health information and attitudes about one’s communications with health care provider(s). DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Four community-based primary care practices in Rhode Island. MEASUREMENTS: A single self-administered survey included items to measure: interest in using the Internet to look for general and quality-oriented information and a patient’s perceptions of the degree to which their doctors over the previous year have: 1) given them information and 2) engaged them in the decision-making process. RESULTS: A total of 300 patients completed the survey. Among patients without Internet access, interest in using the Internet for health related activities was less among patients who felt that their doctor gave less information: Odds ratio 0.83 (95% CI, 0.70 to 0.98) and greater among patients who felt that their doctor engaged them more in decision making: Odds ratio 1.3 (95% CI, 1.1-1.6). Among patients with Internet access, we found no relationship between interest in using the Internet for health related activities and measures of patient-physician communication or patient-physician decision making. CONCLUSIONS: Interest in using the Internet for health information is greater for those who 1) felt their doctors provided less information and 2) felt their doctors engaged them more in the decision-making process, but this is true only for those without access to the Internet

Narrowing the Digital Divide: The Young Women Leaders Program HerStory Project

Research suggests that girls are at especial disadvantage in the field of informational technology and are less likely than boys to take courses or seek out careers in this area. The Young Women Leaders Program (YWLP), a mentoring program at the University of Virginia that pairs at-risk middle school girls with college women for a year of mentoring, developed the YWLP HerStory project to engage middle school girls in informational technology through their development of technology projects focused on psychosocial issues of importance to them. This study reviewed an early version of the YWLP HerStory’s technology curriculum and training for mentors, the revisions made to both, and evaluated the effectiveness of the revisions with a sample of 27 eighth grade girls and their mentors. Findings indicated that participating in the revised curriculum improved girls’ engagement in technology projects, including an 83% completion rate, and modifications to mentor training improved mentor’s grasp of relevant technology and confidence in teaching it to their mentees. Notably, participating eighth grade girls reported that the technology curriculum was fun and expressed an interest in further engagement in using technology platforms to tell their stories

Fostering global science networks in a Post-COVID-19 world

To restrict the spread of COVID-19 disease, regional and national governments have implemented a range of communitybased measures. Physical distancing has closed offices and laboratories, canceled fieldwork and research cruises, and led to scientific productivity declines, notably of female scientists (Staniscuaski et al., 2020; Viglione, 2020; Vincent-Lamarr et al., 2020.) The cessation of international travel was an early measure that looks like it may be continuing for some time.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comparison of European eel Anguilla anguilla eDNA concentrations to fyke net catches in five Irish lakes

The European eel, Anguilla anguilla, is classified as critically endangered by the IUCN. To protect what remains of the European eel population, accurate monitoring methods for this species are important. Environmental DNA (eDNA) techniques are gaining popularity for ecological monitoring of aquatic organisms because they are sensitive and non-invasive. This study directly compared catch data from a standardised fyke-net fishing survey with a single species A. anguilla eDNA survey in five freshwater lakes in Ireland. The eDNA was recovered by the filtration of water samples and amplified by quantitative real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qPCR). European eel eDNA was reliably determined in 83 % (70/84) of surface water samples collected from lakes classified as having high, medium and low eel populations. In addition there was a positive association between the eDNA concentrations recovered and the eel population classification with lower eDNA concentrations in lakes classified as low eel population lakes. Similar amounts of A. anguilla eDNA were detected in water samples collected from open water and shore-side, suggesting shore sampling is an adequate method for eel detection. Together, the results demonstrate that eDNA sampling is more sensitive for detecting eel presence in low eel population environments than standard survey methods, and may be a useful non-invasive tool for monitoring A. anguilla species distribution

Contemporaneous Observations of HαH\alpha Luminosities and Photometric Amplitudes for M Dwarfs

While many M dwarfs are known to have strong magnetic fields and high levels of magnetic activity, we are still unsure about the properties of their starspots and the origin of their magnetic dynamos. Both starspots and chromospheric heating are generated by the surface magnetic field; they produce photometric variability and Halpha emission, respectively. Connecting brightness variations to magnetic activity therefore provides a means to examine M dwarf magnetism. We survey 30 M dwarfs previously identified as fast rotating stars (Prot < 10 days). We present time-series optical photometry from the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and contemporaneous optical spectra obtained using the Ohio State Multi-Object Spectrograph (OSMOS) on the 2.4m Hiltner telescope at MDM Observatory in Arizona. We measure rotation periods and photometric amplitudes from TESS light curves using Gaussian Processes. From the OSMOS spectra, we calculate the equivalent width of Halpha, and LHalpha/Lbol. We find a weak positive correlation between Halpha luminosity and the semi-amplitude, Rvar p=0.005_{-0.005}^{+0.075}. We also observe short-term variability (between 20-45 minutes) in Halpha equivalent widths and possible enhancement from flares consistent to recent literature.Comment: 19 pages, 9 Figures, 2 Tables, Poster Presented at Cool Stars 21, Publication post-copy editin

Impact of a new bicycle path on physical activity

There has been a great deal of concern about obesity, with many calls for Americans to increase physical activity. In spite of all the attention and exhortations, the Outdoor Industry Foundation reported that bicycling is declining, having dropped from 3.9 billion outings in 2004 to 3.1 billion outings in 2005 (Outdoor Industry Foundation, 2006). The most dramatic drop in outings was for American females, who averaged 18 paved road biking outings in 2005 compared to 28 in 2004. Although new bike paths and roadways are frequently being built, there are few studies using objective measures in the United States that prospectively document increases in physical activity in response to environmental changes (Morrison et al., 2004; Killoran et al., 2006). Studies of the association between bicycling and the built environment have typically been cross-sectional (Nelson and Allen, 1997; Dill and Carr, 2003) and when change in the built environment is assessed for its impact on physical activity, studies have included repeated cross-sectional self-reports (Ogilvie et al., 2006), retrospective accounts of use over time (Boarnet et al., 2005), or simulations of what is expected (Niemeier, 1996)