Ancient reticulation, incomplete lineage sorting and the evolution of the pyrenoid at the dawn of hornwort diversification.

Background And Aims: Resolving the phylogeny of hornworts is critical in understanding the evolution of key morphological characters that are unique to the group, including the pyrenoid. Extensive phylogenomic analyses have revealed unexpected complexities in the placement of Leiosporoceros, the previously identified sister taxon to other hornworts. We explore the role of incomplete lineage sorting (ILS) and ancient reticulation in resolving interrelationships and comprehending the diversification and evolutionary processes within hornworts.

Does Learner Communication Behavior Change Based on Context? Observations of Surgical Residents Across Clinical Rotations.

Objective: As surgical residency programs begin developing communication skills-specific training curricula, it is important to understand those skills required of surgeons in the many settings in which they work. It is also useful to observe the skills that residents already demonstrate, as well as those skills that need further development. This study evaluated surgical residents' communication behaviors across different services to understand how the clinical learning environment influences their approach to surgeon-patient interactions.

How I do it: Meeting Milestones Through a Communication Coaching Program.

Objective: An existing communication coaching program was adapted to address an educational gap to enhance the communication skills of surgical residents.

Design: Expert communication coaches observe surgical residents in various clinical settings and provide detailed feedback and recommendations for improvement.

Setting: Observations occur across diverse clinical environments, including inpatient and outpatient settings, peri-operative contexts, team meetings, and skills labs.

The effect of the housing crisis in the Alabama Black Belt on respiratory health.

Background: There is a growing housing crisis in rural America with homelessness growing in addition to a growing number of substandard homes due to an inability to afford the costs of repair and maintenance. The goal of the current study was to assess the housing concerns in rural Alabama Black Belt communities which are often understudied and the relationship between housing quality and respiratory health.

Methods: A semi-random sampling of five Black Belt counties was conducted to obtain a sample of 253 rural households.

Establishing CRISPR-Cas9 in the sexually dimorphic moss, Ceratodon purpureus.

The development of CRISPR technologies provides a powerful tool for understanding the evolution and functionality of essential biological processes. Here we demonstrate successful CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing in the dioecious moss species, Ceratodon purpureus. Using an existing selection system from the distantly related hermaphroditic moss, Physcomitrium patens, we generated knock-outs of the APT reporter gene by employing CRISPR-targeted mutagenesis under expression of native U6 snRNA promoters.