Randolph–Macon College

High-quality delivery of healthcare requires effective communication between patients and providers. Clinical communication has been a priority in medical education for decades, yet studies continue to show that trainees and providers struggle to communicate effectively in real and simulated clinical scenarios. Many have investigated potential methods to improve the initial acquisition, long-term retention, and holistic evaluation of clinical communication competency in medical trainees. However, there has been a lack of rigorous qualitative research investigating the medical student perspective on this process. This study aimed to identify medical student perceptions of what factors may influence effective clinical communication and how those factors evolve with time. Twenty-two medical students were interviewed between August 2021 and May 2022 at the University of Mississippi Medical Center. Their interviews were transcribed and analyzed using deductive, inductive, and categorical coding methods to construct themes. These themes identified six influencing factors (personal identity; biases and assumptions; norms and expectations; language; episodic contexts; and comfort and trust) and one impact (evolution of personal identity). The relationships between these themes enabled the researchers to establish a preliminary model that demonstrates how medical students believe effective clinical communication occurs. Medical educators may use this model to develop innovative curricular objectives, assessment methods, and teaching strategies that might improve student's acquisition and demonstration of effective clinical communication. These improvements may be most beneficial for students who face minority stress, as well as those combating oppressive systems based on the complex relationships between their multiple minority identities.

Conflict mitigation strategies reduce losses caused by wildlife crop depredations, yet farmers often choose to use techniques that are not very effective or not to use strategies at all. We conducted a study in Himachal Pradesh in northern India to understand what factors drive farmers to adopt certain mitigation strategies against crop-foraging rhesus macaques. We employed an action-research approach and tested the effectiveness of four physical deterrents, two chemical repellents, three acoustic repellents, and two psychological techniques in preventing monkeys from entering crop fields. We conducted the deterrent trials on farm plots that farmers had temporarily abandoned due to primate crop-foraging. The number of available plots and their location restricted our ability to conduct replicate deterrent trials. We also interviewed 70 farmers before and after the deterrent trials to understand their willingness to try nonlethal techniques to deter crop-foraging monkeys. Simple fences using locally available materials successfully reduced primate depredations, and farmers agreed to adopt these techniques. However, a stated willingness to adopt new strategies may not translate to actual implementation, because farmers' use of mitigation strategies is a complex behavior influenced by various factors. Also, the lack of trial replication affected our ability to confirm our results. Determining whether researchers can apply our findings to a wider population requires additional research. Addressing changes in human behavior and attitudes toward mitigation strategies is critical for implementing regionally effective nonlethal mitigation strategies.

The federally threatened Puritan tiger beetle (Ellipsoptera puritana; PTB) inhabits Upper Chesapeake Bay bluffs, beaches and Connecticut River point bars. This study focuses on Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay population (Calvert County and Sassafras River), where adult PTBs prey on beach arthropods but establish larval habitat on the adjacent bluffs. A combination of panoramic photography, GIS mapping, and field and laboratory measurements of sedimentological and ecological characteristics were measured across 17 high- and low-density Maryland beetle sites to identify the geologic and biological controls on population distribution and abundance. Results indicate that temporal and spatial fluctuations in PTB abundance are governed by bluff face quality, which in turn, is shaped by antecedent geology (medium-compacted, fine-to-medium, well-sorted sands) and bluff dynamics. We present a four-stage, multi-decadal geomorphodynamic conceptual model in which long-term bluff recession and short-term storm-driven colluvium removal periodically expose fresh bluff surfaces required for larval establishment. By integrating geomorphic, geologic, and ecological perspectives, this study highlights the role of sedimentary processes in maintaining critical estuarine habitats and provides a framework for predicting species persistence in dynamic coastal landscapes.

Transmission by laser is a cost-effective way to send signals to space vehicles. Signals are encoded so that zeroes and ones are recognized by different intensity levels at the receiver. The process should be optimized so that the gap in intensity between zeroes and ones is large enough that correct decoding will occur even in the presence of noise. Global and local optimization schemes are presented using numerical and analytical techniques. The results obtained produce wider gaps than those currently available.

Opsaridium ubangiense is a reportedly widespread species that occurs throughout the Lower Guinea ichthyofaunal province and within the Upper Congo River drainage. Recent collections throughout the region allow us to examine the genetic diversity within this species across its reported distribution. The results of a multi-locus analyses and four different species delimitation methods (GD, bPTP, ABGD, and ASAP) suggest the presence of distinct taxa within what is now considered O. ubangiense. The analysis also revealed potentially distinct taxa within the rivers of Equatorial Guinea and highlight some interesting patterns of diversity within the Mbini River drainage. A preliminary morphological analysis also revealed some differences among topotypic material and other studied populations. These results are discussed in the context of other recent discoveries in the region; future studies needed are also detailed.