Genetics in primary care: a USA faculty development initiative

The Genetics in Primary Care (GPC) project is a USA national faculty development initiative with the goal of enhancing the training of medical students and primary care residents by developing primary care faculty expertise in genetics. Educational strategies were developed for the project by an executive committee with input from an advisory committee, comprising individuals with primary care, medical education and genetics expertise. These committees identified the key issues in genetics education for primary care as (1) considering inherited disease in the differential diagnosis of common disorders; (2) using appropriate counseling strategies for genetic testing and diagnosis, and (3) understanding the implications of a genetic diagnosis for family members. The group emphasized the importance of a primary care perspective, which suggests that the clinical utility of genetic information is greatest when it has the potential to improve health outcomes. The group also noted that clinical practice already incorporates the use of family history information, providing a basis for discussing the application of genetic concepts in primary care. Genetics and primary care experts agreed that educational efforts will be most successful if they are integrated into existing primary care teaching programs, and use a case-based teaching format that incorporates both clinical and social dimensions of genetic disorders. Three core clinical skills were identified: (1) interpreting family history; (2) recognizing the variable clinical utility of genetic information, and (3) acquiring cultural competency. Three areas of potential controversy were identified as well: (1) the role of nondirective counseling versus shared decision-making in discussions of genetic testing; (2) the intrinsic value of genetic information when it does not influence health outcomes, and (3) indications for a genetics referral. The project provides an opportunity for ongoing discussion about these important issues.     

Complete Congruences on the Lattice of Rees–Sushkevich Varieties

We study the lattice ?(RS_n) of subvarieties of the variety of semigroups generated by completely 0-simple semigroups over groups with exponent dividing n, with a particular focus on the lattice ??(RS_n) consisting of those varieties that are generated by completely 0-simple semigroups. The sublattice of ??(RS_n) consisting of the aperiodic varieties is described and several endomorphisms of ?(RS_n) considered. The complete congruence on ??(RS_n) that relates varieties containing the same aperiodic completely 0-simple semigroups is considered in some detail.     

Community operational research issues and public art practice: the art director system

The key issues of community operational research, outlined in a paper by Ritchie, have relevance to community projects in general and, we argue, a particular relevance to public art. We illustrate this relevance by describing eight case studies in public art, four in Japan and four in the west, and by considering the projects in a three-way factorial design, make a case for the art director system in the management of public art projects.     

The critical group from a cryptographic perspective

The critical group of a graph is an abelian group that arisesin several contexts, and there are some similarities with thegroups that are used in cryptography. We construct a familyof graphs with critical groups that are cyclic, and discussthe associated computational problems using algorithms basedon the theory of ‘chip-firing’.     

Dynamic programming in cricket: optimizing batting order for a sticky wicket

In cricket, a rain-affected pitch can make batting more difficult than normal. Several other conditions such as poor light or an initially lively pitch, may also result in difficulties for the batsmen. In this note, we refer to all of them as ‘sticky wickets’. On sticky wickets, lower order batsmen are often sent into ‘hold the fort’ until conditions improve. In this paper, a stochastic dynamic programming model is used to examine the appropriateness of this policy. The model suggests that the tactic is often optimal when the sticky wicket persists until the end of the day's play, but not often when the sticky wicket is transitory. In some circumstances, it is worthwhile, on a normal wicket near the end of the day, to send in a lower order batsman to hold the fort (a night watchman): when the wicket is sticky, this tactic is even more worthwhile.     

A methodology to create robust job rotation schedules

This research proposes a methodology for developing robust job rotation schedules to reduce the likelihood of low back injury due to lifting. We consider settings that have uncertain task demands and different worker profiles in order to simulate real settings. We begin by considering deterministic versions of the problem and solve these using mathematical programming. Because mathematical programming cannot be readily applied to stochastic versions of the problem, heuristic solution methods are developed. The effectiveness of these methods is demonstrated by comparing the results with provably optimal solutions from the deterministic problems and with an enumerative approach that is applied to the stochastic version of the problem. Across the test problems, the proposed heuristics are effective at finding good job rotation solutions. The proposed methods could also be applied to solve other job rotation objectives such as maximizing productivity and reducing exposure to other work environmental factors such as excessive noise.     

Optical microrheology using rotating laser-trapped particles

We demonstrate an optical system that can apply and accurately measure the torque exerted by the trapping beam on a rotating birefringent probe particle. This allows the viscosity and surface effects within liquid media to be measured quantitatively on a micron-size scale using a trapped rotating spherical probe particle. We use the system to measure the viscosity inside a prototype cellular structure.