Monthly Archives: August 2022

The Benefits of Telesitting for Clinicians and Patients

Prior to the pandemic, many healthcare organizations pursued telesitting as an operational efficiency and cost-cutting measure. A PCT can simultaneously monitor around 12 patients remotely. They can talk to patients if needed, deploy automated responses in different languages and ring an alarm if a patient needs immediate help. An organization no longer needs to hire a sitter for each patient room.

As the pandemic took hold, resources for healthcare organizations became scarce, including staff. Existing staff also had to be protected from exposure. Health IT teams began deploying telesitting not only to cut costs but out of necessity. Post-implementation, and with nursing support teams back on the floor, nurses again can focus on key clinical activities and caregiving. They can perform med-reconciliation instead of tech support for pillow speaker issues. Having nurses operate at the top of their licenses means more quality patient care in addition to clinician well-being.

Implementing telesitting programs benefits patient outcomes. In addition to saving money, organizations that use this technology also can track quality metrics, like the number of falls and falls with injury within a facility. However, healthcare providers should listen for anecdotes about successes. I remember a telesitting implementation some time ago during which one of our remote sitters, having watched a patient for a long while, noticed that he had stopped behaving as he normally did. The patient was decompensating and was moments from crashing. That observation potentially saved the patient, which is an immeasurable win.

READ MORE:The future of smart hospital strategy brings care to the home.

Telesitting technology isnt and shouldnt be just about throwing technology at a problem. Organizations will need to write job descriptions for sitters; weigh the benefits of nursing or physician-led protocols for remotely monitoring patients; and develop procedures for intervention, program discharge and equipment recycling. Implementation teams should include representation from legal and privacy teams to ensure policies and consents for facilities cover the use of 24/7 audio and video monitoring. Perhaps most important, healthcare organizations must clearly identify protocols for noncompliance for example, how many patient redirects will be allowed before someone needs to transition to a one-to-one safety sit.

From an IT perspective, before implementing the technology, health IT teams must ensure their organizations networks can handle the bandwidth for streaming video of that magnitude. Some organizations may not be able to implement telesitting until a network upgrade is complete, or they may have to deploy on a smaller scale at first. A network assessment by technology partners such as CDW can help healthcare organizations determine whether their networks can handle the addition of telesitting programs. Telesitting platforms also should have the ability to integrate directly with an organizations electronic health record.

DISCOVER:Howpartner-delivered IT services help mitigate the effects of staff shortages.

Telesitting, which seemed revolutionary prior the pandemic, will continue to evolve over the coming years. Organizations have already started overlaying AI algorithms onto video feeds to detect patient movement and probability of getting up. LIDAR technology, used to great effect in autonomous vehicles, can autonomously scan rooms for patient obstacles.

This technology can be implemented under Patient Room Next strategies to advance patient care. Part of that overall strategy is getting away from having several point solutions and moving toward platforms with applications in other use cases across the system, thereby maximizing the investment. Examples of this include Artisights clinical automation capabilities and Caregilitys virtual nursing platform.

Telesitting has proved to be an excellent foray into using remote technology to ease the clinician burden. The evolution toward autonomous monitoring holds great promise for the future of care.

This article is part of HealthTechs MonITor blog series. Please join the discussion on Twitter by using #WellnessIT.

Continued here:

The Evolution of Telesitting in Healthcare - HealthTech Magazine

Image source: Getty Images

Its been an awful start to the trading week for the Evolution Mining Ltd (ASX: EVN) share price this Monday. At the time of writing, Evolution shares are down a nasty 4.4% at $2.39 each.

Thats a far worse performance than that of the S&P/ASX 200 Index (ASX: XJO), which has lost a less severe but still depressing 2.07% at present.

This drop for gold miner Evolution Mining comes despite some positive conditions for gold, which my Fool colleague went through this morning.

Earlier this month, we covered Evolutions full-year earnings for FY2022.

As we went through at the time, these earnings saw Evolution post total revenues of $2.06 billion, up 11% year on year.

But a 6% slide in statutory net profit after tax (NPAT) to $323.3 million and a 2% drop in earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortisation (EBITDA) to $898.814 million didnt exactly inspire investors.

Evolution shares dropped 1.56% on the day the earnings were posted, and the company is now down around 7% since.

But lets talk about Evolutions upcoming dividend. So the gold miner declared a final and fully franked dividend of 3 cents per share for FY22.

That was consistent with the companys last interim dividend. But a 40% drop from FY21s final dividend of 5 cents per share.

Evolution shares will trade ex-dividend for this payment on 30 August (tomorrow). This means that any investor wishing to receive this dividend must own Evolution shares by the end of this trading day.

When the shares trade ex-div tomorrow, it will lock any new investors out of this dividend. As such, we can expect the typical ex-dividend share price drop during tomorrows trading session.

Investors will then have to wait until 30 September to receive the dividend in their bank accounts. Evolution shares are not currently operating a dividend reinvestment plan (DRP), so Evolution shareholders have no choice but to receive this payment in cash.

The Evolution Mining share price today has a fully franked dividend yield of 2.51%, which includes this upcoming payment.

Excerpt from:

Hoping to bag the next Evolution Mining dividend? Here's what to do - The Motley Fool Australia

One area thats going to be talked about a lot regarding Clemson football is the offensive line that struggled so much in 2021.

Weve already heard almost daily stories of good coming out of camp with very little negative sprinkled in about the 2022 version of the line.

This clip from Gramlich and Mac Lain could be viewed as more of that type of hype. A former Clemson offensive lineman praising what hes seeing from the line in camp.

Except that I interviewed Eric Mac Lain a few years back and it seemed to me he was very forthright and honest about his assessment of programs (not just Clemson), people that hed met along the way (this was before his ACC Network days) and even himself.

He didnt strike me then, nor does he now, as someone whos going to be hyperbolic about an offensive line thats not very good, because his credibility is at stake.

Would he add a little extra because its Clemson and he played line at Clemson? Sure, maybe subconsciously, Im not nave to that notion.

Still, come Labor Day Night they have to go out there and do it. Go out there and erase the memories of last season when Clemson totaled 286 total yards. Not against the 2nd ranked Georgia defense, but against what turned out to be the 117th ranked Georgia Tech defense.

First impressions can be a tricky thing and sometimes they stay with you forever, or at least a long time.

Is anyone expecting perfection? Not in this corner of Clemson fandom, were not.

That said, we also dont want to hear the same excuses that weve heard before and we want to see progress and competent play up front under the leadership of new offensive line coach Thomas Austin, himself a former Clemson offensive lineman.

As I generally am this time of year, Im cautiously optimistic and realize that what happens on September 5th, doesnt necessarily mean that will happen all season, but its going to be a difficult sell if the fans see something similar to last season to start this season, especially given the opponent.

Very soon its going to be time to prove that the assessments are correct and its not just hyperbole, but real improvement up front.

Read the original here:

Clemson Football: The evolution of the offensive line - Rubbing the Rock

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Evolutionary analysis of swimming speed in early vertebrates challenges the 'New Head Hypothesis' | Communications Biology - Nature.com

In the waning minutes of Anonymous Club, Courtney Barnetts new feature-length documentary, the Australian singer-songwriter arrives at a seemingly significant conclusion.

Ive figured out that my eternal goal is to empower people who need empowering, the Grammy nominee states matter-of-factly over slow-motion shots of adoring fans. I want to give someone in the audience the energy or power to feel something. To forget something. To remember something. To be inspired. To feel happiness or to feel an emotion that allows them to transcend life and you know, helps them in their journey.

For a notoriously shy artist whose breakthrough was a song about panic attacks while gardening, the films send-off earmarks a radical shift in the way Barnett communicates beyond her music.

But without a random suggestion from a friend, Anonymous Club, and all of its tidy bits of insight, would not exist.

Preparing to hit the road following the release of 2018s Tell Me How You Really Feel, Barnett was asked by longtime collaborator Danny Cohen to keep an audio diary. He provided her with a dictaphone and joined his colleague on tour to shoot some footage as planned. Other than hoping that theyd inform one another, there were no immediate plans for either the audio recordings or the footage.

Over the course of three years, Barnett quietly confessed and confided to the dictaphone in hotel rooms, driving between gigs, and whenever she felt compelled to get something off her chest. Cohen sporadically joined Barnett on tour and shot footage. The pairing of the two archives ultimately became Anonymous Club, but Barnett never imagined her audio entries would serve as narration to the film.

I didnt intend for it to be the film it became, she explained recently from her half-the-year home in Joshua Tree. I had no expectations and just thought, Lets document the tour. I struggle with social media sometimes because I feel like I cant think straight, and Im trying to present myself in a way that has an intention. But I was just moving through the world, talking about what I was thinking and feeling. I assumed some of it would feed toward the narrative, but never thought it would be the narration. I didnt have any of those expectations, and in turn, that gave it this weird honesty.

That weird honesty is an essential feature of the film that Cohen wrote and directed. But more importantly, the three years of footage that incorporates Anonymous Club seems to document something even bigger.

Barnetts latest album, last years Things Take Time, Take Time, represents a stark tonal shift from Tell Me How You Really Feel. Cohen captured the making of Barnetts most recent offering, as she worked with Warpaint drummer, friend and fellow Aussie Stella Mozgawa, in what looked like an easy-going and enjoyable manner.

While its obvious when listening to the two albums side by side, Barnett explained their stark differences through the overarching themes of each project.

The last album you could hear a lot of tension in there, she said, a lot of defensiveness, frustration and anger. This album is a lot more gentle and open. These songs focus on love. But not just love of a person, the love of being a loving person.

Could that shift also be the result of successfully purging thoughts and concerns over an extended period of time? Probably. Either way, Barnett appears far more comfortable both personally and professionally.

Take her current Here and There festival. Tucked neatly into the middle of her world tour, Barnett has organized her own stand-alone, 12-date run featuring a different lineup of headline-worthy guests each night.

Inspired by her curation of the 2019 Belgian Sonic City festival and a Newport Folk Foundation event in 2020, Barnett brought Here and There to life this year.

Featuring the likes of Fred Armisen, Japanese Breakfast, Snail Mail, Wet Leg, Lucy Dacus and Sleater-Kinney joining Barnett in different cities over the next few weeks, this initial run will dictate how the festival evolves in coming years.

COVID replacement dates and general scheduling issues dictated that Here and There make its debut in the middle of an already scheduled world tour, but Barnett is actually glad it happened that way.

Itll definitely be a different energy, she said. Were partnering with lots of local community organizations and LGBTQIA+ organizations through the Allied Coalition. And we do that at a lot of my American shows anyway, encouraging people to vote and enroll to vote. It just feels like having all of those groups together at this festival is a little bit more of a community vibe than a normal show. Were just that little extra bit more connected. And thats nice.

San Diegos version of Here and There will feature a pair of Southern singer-songwriters in North Carolinas Indigo De Souza and Florida-born, current Alabamian Ethel Cain. And the festival itself has spawned a limited run compilation to raise funds for reproductive rights.

As for whats next, Barnett is reluctant to say. But shes at peace with the unprecedented vulnerability the film has brought and that makes the future look just a little bit brighter.

Im at ease with it, Barnett said. It exists and is what it is. I just hope that somebody finds something useful within it. That will make it all worthwhile.

When: 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28

Where: Humphreys Concerts by the Bay, 2214 Shelter Island Drive, San Diego

Tickets: $41 (standing-room only)

Online: ticketmaster.com

McDonald is a freelance writer.

Original post:

Courtney Barnett and the evolution of an artist - The San Diego Union-Tribune

In 2019, the Phillies held the 14th pick in a loaded MLB Draft. Some of the top players pickedAdley Rutschman, Bobby Witt Jr., Andrew Vaughn, and Alex Manoahare currently viewed as a future face of their respective franchises. With their first selection, the Phillies opted to take SS Bryson Stott out of UNLV in hopes he, too, would become part of a nucleus that would bring World Series baseball back to South Philly. The shortstop was viewed as a safe picka prospect who grades out as average in most skill categories with the chance to develop multiple above average tools. He had quick hands and feet up the middle, could run well, and carried an advanced approach at the plate with elite bat-to-ball skills. He showcased all of these talents throughout his time in the minor leagues, the 2021 Arizona Fall League, and this past spring training, earning him a spot on the Phillies Opening Day Roster.

However, Stott didnt last on the major league roster very long. He was optioned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley on April 25th only to be recalled on May 7 when Didi Gregorious was placed on the injured list due to a knee sprain. Over the course of April and May, Stott received inconsistent playing time while slashing an abysmal .123/.180/.151. Stotts swing was long and loopy, his timing was poor, and, alarmingly, appeared to be uncomfortable in the batters boxsomething that was very unusual for a player whos never been overmatched. The rigidness of Joe Girardi, the clubs manager at the time, did nothing to help the rookie who would find himself on the bench at the first sign of struggle. But, when Girardi was relieved of his managerial duties on June 3, a little bit of weight was lifted from top prospects shoulders.

Given a fresh start with a new skipper, the first-year shortstop could relax knowing that he would find his name in the lineup every day. There would be growing painsas there usually is with young athletesbut he would play through the failure and learn how to be better because of it. Any athlete will tell you that it is impossible to better themselves while cemented on a pine bench. For a young hitter especially, it is vital to continue getting game reps against difficult competition to learn how the best pitchers will try to get you out. Once that is understood and the hitter can either lay off a specific pitch or do damage with it, confidence can be built from within. This is what happened with Stott, who now knows he can compete at the highest level of baseball.

Since June 1, Stott is hitting .261/.322/.424 while playing a stellar shortstop and coming up with a few clutch hits, including this one from Tuesday night. His play since the beginning of June was enough for the Phillies front office to believe in him as the shortstop of the futureand right now. On August 4th, the Phillies released their Opening Day shortstop, Didi Gregorious, which gave Stott an additional boost in confidence. In his last 15 games, Stott has slashed .339/.383/.518.

The Vegas products scorching hot bat has been a result of cleaning up his loopy swing path with a shorter, more direct angle of attack towards the baseball. This has helped him adjust to how big league pitchers attempt to get him out. Earlier in the season, when Stotts swing dipped under the plane of the ball, he was vulnerable to high fastballs as he had the appearance of not being able to catch up to the pitch. However, with an approach focused on hard contact, his swing became shorter, reducing the loop and preventing his back shoulder from dipping too much prior to contact. Now, hes able to put those pitches in play while also staying on pitches low and in, where his natural swing path is prone to barreling the ball. But, the rookies two strike approach, which has become his all-the-time approach, may be the key to his hot streak.

Throughout his professional career, Stott has stood tall at the plate before moving into a toe-tap stride as the pitch is thrown. But now, the rookie doesnt stride at all. When the pitcher winds up, he simply rocks back and allows his hands to attack the baseball. Its a simple approachone that some of the best hitters in the game use when they have two strikes in any given at bat. Bryce Harper began using this during his MVP campaign last season and has continued it this year while Juan Soto uses a modified version of the approach where he spreads his legs out extremely wide and lifts up on his front toe before the pitch is thrown. Some may think, though, that hitters lose power when using this approach since they arent utilizing any sort of leg kick. However, this theory is a fallacy because a hitters leg kick, more than anything, is a timing mechanism. As long as a hitter uses their body correctlymeaning, their hips, legs, and hands move in unison towards the ball with the legs using the ground to drive to impactvery minimal, if any, power is lost. For a hitter like Stott, this approach works tremendously, and is a big reason why the Phillies have placed so much faith in him.

With the in-season adjustments the rookie has made, its evident Stott has all the makings to be penciled in as the Phillies shortstop for the next decade. At his peak, it wouldnt be surprising to see him become a five tool player that can do anything to help the team win. But right now, the rookie is just scratching the surface of his potential. Its no longer a matter of if the top prospect can play at the major league level, but a matter of how good he can be. And who knows, maybe he and his two paper cups will have a special moment in October.

Photo: Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA Today Sports

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The Evolution of Bryson Stott - Philadelphia Sports Nation

Matthew A. Lunning, DO, FACP, discusses the evolution of BTK inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Matthew A. Lunning, DO, FACP, assistant vice chair of research, the Department of Medicine, assistant vice chancellor of Clinical Research, associate professor of Internal Medicine, the Division of Hematology and Oncology, the University of Nebraska Medical Center, discusses the evolution of BTK inhibitors in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Though BTK inhibitors have remained in the relapsed/refractory setting in mantle cell lymphoma, the agents have become a mainstay of the frontline treatment of CLL, either as a single agent or in combination with a monoclonal antibody, Lunning says.

Investigators are beginning to see data on the combination of BTK Inhibitors and BCL2 inhibitors in the treatment-nave setting of CLL, Lunning continues. Further studies of BTK inhibitors in the frontline setting will continue to inform treatment decisions for their use as a single agent or as the backbone of a doublet or triplet combination, Lunning concludes.

Read more:

Dr. Lunning on the Evolution of BTK Inhibitors in CLL - OncLive

The recent FDA approval of darolutamide (Nubeqa) plus docetaxel and androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) in metastatic hormone-sensitive prostate cancer (mHSPC) represents a promising improvement in survival without a significant increase in toxicity vs ADT and chemotherapy alone for patients with advanced disease, according to E. David Crawford, MD.1

The triplet combination was approved based on results from the phase 3 ARASENS trial (NCT02799602).2 The treatment combination was found to have a statistically significant and meaningful improvement in overall survival (OS) among those treated with darolutamide plus docetaxel vs chemotherapy (HR, 0.68; 95% CI, 0.57-0.80; P <.0001). Median OS was not reached in the darolutamide arm at a median follow-up of 43.7 months and was 48.9 months in the chemotherapy arm. Patients also had a delay in time to pain progression in the darolutamide arm vs the chemotherapy arm (HR, 0.79; 95% CI, 0.66-0.95; 1-sided P = .006).

Now weve got a triplet [regimen for mHSPC], so Im excited. I was seeing patients live 10 years or longer with doublets. Now, I expect that its going to get even better. I have some patients with advanced prostate cancer alive at 20 years. What we have here is a major step forward; we have a drug that is added onto ADT and chemotherapy that had an impact. Thats something that I think is a game changer, said Crawford.

CancerNetworkspoke with Crawford, editor-in-chief of Grand Rounds in Urology; professor of Urology at the University of California, San Diego; and an editorial board member of the journal ONCOLOGY about the approval and the body of research that led to the regulatory decision. Additionally, he highlighted how the new treatment option will impact patients with mCRPC and where future efforts need to be focused to help move the needle forward.

Crawford: It represents a significant step forward in our progress of trying to effectively treat this disease and maybe even get to the point where we make it a chronic disease. Like many of the other [cancer types] out there, people don't die from it; they die with it. [The approval of darolutamide plus docetaxel and ADT] fits very nicely with the evolution of whats happened in metastatic prostate cancer. [Treatment for prostate cancer] started out with single therapy back in the 1940s with estrogens and orchiectomy. One of the big changing points was the introduction of LHRH [luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone] agonist back in the mid-1980s.

We had an effective therapy that [patients] usually progressed on within a period of a couple of years. That led to a study that [I was involved in] with a doublet therapy and an anti-androgen agent called flutamide which was published in 1989 in the New England Journal of Medicine; that was the first doublet that was utilized extensively.3 It resulted in a 6-month improvement in survival rate. At that time, it was met with a lot of controversy and for the next decade, there were a lot of studies done with it and with other doublets. Then what happened with metastatic disease was that a new generation of drugs came along. We call them third-generation anti-androgens inhibitors, androgen biosynthesis inhibitors, and chemotherapy. What happened there was we were blessed with a bunch of riches [about] a decade ago with all these new drugs like chemotherapy, which were utilized in this study [along with other treatments like] docetaxel, androgen biosynthesis inhibitors, [and abiraterone acetate].

Then we had drugs that were much better than the one I studied in 1989. We had darolutamide that came along, as well as apalutamide [Erleada] and enzalutamide [Xtandi]. When these agents were added to standard [ADT], there was an improvement in outcomes, and that reflected what we had done years ago. In 2018 or 2019, [findings read out using] doublets. If you look at the utilization and studies that have been done going back to 2020, only about a quarter of clinicians add something like this onto ADTa doublet. Were starting to see that change a little bit by moving the needle here with therapeutic interventions and change, but development in prostate cancer [like many other cancers] has been slow.

The important thing is now we have a triplet that has been well studied, where you build on the foundation of ADT including a study that was done a number of years ago by Christopher J. Sweeney, MMBS, and the [Prostate Cancer Foundation] Cooperative Group. That was called the [phase 3] CHAARTER trial [NCT00309985].4 It showed when you add docetaxel to ADT, you had improvements in outcomes of almost 17 months, which is a long time compared with the study that we did back in 1989 when the survival rates were 28 months to 35 months of improvement.

Building on that was tough, and this was a risky trial to do in a way. The ARASENS trial built on the doublet of ADT and chemotherapy and then added darolutamide, which is a third-generation anti-androgen inhibitor. What happened here was an amazing almost 35% improvement in the survival rate, just by adding [darolutamide]. Then the question was, Okay, did we add a lot of toxicity? The answer was nothere was no added toxicity on top of chemotherapy with ADT. Theres no question that chemotherapy with ADT takes its toll on [patients] more than ADT alone, which has a significant [adverse] effect profile. The ones we worry about now are more cardiovascular and bone [related].

We always like to have a personalized medicine approach, focusing on a [single patient] rather than a large group. Weve got some of that information here, but I wouldnt jump to say that [you should] take the worst patients and treat them with this regimen. Thats what the bucket of chemotherapy fell into where the benefit seemed to be working with more advanced disease. Some of that had to do with people with lesser disease who lived longer in these trials, but we did not follow patients long enough to see that. That was sort of the same with the ARASENS trial in a way; when the end point of survival difference was reached and survival in the control arm passed 50%, the study was basically stopped and people weren't followed anymore. Therefore, we may never know the right answer for some of the [included] groups.

We do know, however, that theres an improvement in survival, delay in chemotherapy, and a delay in pain. We also know that the majority of toxicity during the initial therapy with the chemotherapy and that the addition of darolutamide didnt significantly change that. How do we decide who to use it on? Many people dont agree with me, but I think it applies across the board with advanced prostate cancer. We all know that cancer that is a collection of genetic changes; the longer its around them, the more genetic heterogeneity exists and less responsive it is to that therapy. When screening, were finding the disease early. In our study from 1989, we found that people with more minimal disease did lived longer, and it wasnt just lead time bias. Hitting this [disease] heavy up front as you do with a lot of [curable] cancers makes sense, and right now, its open to most patients, not just those who have more significant disease.

History remakes itself all the time in prostate cancer, and what we found out was that it used to be that drugs were studied with advanced disease, including hormone therapy and some of the anti-androgens. What happened was we were treating [patients] and then [treatment] would fail. Theyd have advanced diseases such as castration-resistant disease or hormone-refractory disease. Thats where a lot of the new drugs came in. We started studying the drugs in the [patients with] worse disease because they had a very minimal life expectancy. We were seeing with every one of these drugs like apalutamide and enzalutamide [being being used for] patients who were refractory to everything. Now its moving up to the adjuvant setting and even active surveillance. Whether we see progression or regression of these agents being moved to earlier [lines of therapy], I dont think were too far off from seeing this in the future. Were going to be able to treat patients earlier with triplet therapy like this. Maybe [they will] not continue it for the rest of their lives, but we dont do that with a lot of chemotherapies. Were going to evolve into that, but right now were looking at whats happened with the triplet drugs and celebrating the results. Were going to start moving it up [the lines of therapy].

Go here to see the original:

E. David Crawford, MD, Reviews the Evolution of Treatment for mHSPC Leading to the FDA Approval of Darolutamide, Chemo, and ADT - Cancer Network

The fossil record represents an amazing window into the endless forms of life that have existed across countless ages. By studying ancient species and ecosystems we can increase our understanding of what lived in the past and how the Earth was different compared to today. We can also use fossils to understand how evolution works and what is most likely to evolve under particular sets of circumstances.

This context is what makes Meraxes gigas, a newly named theropod dinosaur, so important for our understanding of dinosaur evolution and biodiversity.

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I was part of the international team of palaeontologists, led by Juan Canale of the Ernesto Bachmann Palaeontological Museum, that named and described Meraxes gigas. The specimen was collected between 2012 and 2014 near Villa El Chocn in Argentina, in rocks of the ~95 million year old Huincul Formation.

Meraxes is a large theropod, the group of bipedal, often meat-eating, dinosaurs which also includes birds, and a member of the Carcharodontosauridae family, making it a relative of dinosaurs like Carcharodontosaurus, Giganotosaurus and Acrocanthosaurus.

The discovered specimen is approximately 11 metres long, and its weight is estimated as approximately 4,200 kg. It has a proportionally large skull featuring a rather fearsome set of teeth, along with long legs and large clawed feet, a powerful tail, and small arms and hands.

Likely a top predator, it co-occurred with other large theropods like Skorpiovenator, alongside large herbivorous sauropod dinosaurs and smaller iguanadontian ornithopod dinosaurs.

Meraxes is particularly notable in what it tells us about the evolution of large size in dinosaurs. Its body plan a large head and small arms is very similar to that seen in tyrannosaurids like Tyrannosaurus rex, and abelisaurids like Carnotaurus.

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These three groups of theropod dinosaurs are all distant relatives. Each independently evolved both large body size and the combination of a large head and small arms.

We analyzed the evolution of these changes in these three groups by examining changes in arm size relative to other body measurements, such as leg and body size. We found that not only did each group experience similar changes through evolution, but there appears to be a lower limit for how small the arms can be relative to the rest of the body. This may represent a developmental or mechanical constraint: the arm can only get so small relative to the body, regardless of other evolutionary pressures in this context.

There are several potential explanations for the size of the arms; the forelimbs themselves may have retained some function despite their reduced size. Our data most directly support the idea that arm reduction in these dinosaur groups is more likely tracking other traits rather than being the subject of evolutionary selective pressure itself. In other words, as the relative size of the skull increased over evolution, the arms decreased proportionally in size as an evolutionary trade-off.

Another important thing Meraxes can tell us about dinosaur evolution concerns its growth and age. As a palaeontologist, one of my areas of expertise is in using bone microstructure to understand growth in extinct animals like dinosaurs. I also study how bone growth varies across individuals within and between species.

This involves cutting a bone in half (typically one of the long bones of the hind limb, like a femur or tibia), mounting a piece to a slide, and grinding that piece down to be thin enough that you can pass light through it and view the bone microstructure using a microscope.

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From here, changes in bone tissue can be observed, telling us about physiology and relative maturity. We can also see annual growth marks, similar to tree rings. By counting these growth marks, measuring their positions across the bone and analyzing them using statistical growth models, we can estimate not only how much an animal grew from year to year, but also how old it was when it died.

Using this approach to study Meraxes, we were able to determine that it was likely around 50 years old at death, and its skeleton had stopped growing about four years before it died. This would make it the oldest non-avian theropod dinosaur currently known, and one of the oldest known dinosaurs.

We also discovered that Meraxes, compared to other gigantic theropods like Tyrannosaurus, reached a large size through very different changes to their growth. Meraxes continued growing for a longer period of time when compared to its smaller relatives. Tyrannosaurus had a greater relative growth rate than smaller tyrannosaurid species, but reached adult size in a similar amount of time.

As a result, Meraxes and Tyrannosaurus provide a complex example of evolutionary convergence: they both reached very large size when compared to their relatives, and independently evolved the combination of large skulls and small arms. But they achieved this through very different modifications to their growth pattern through life.

As we continue to study Meraxes and other dinosaurs, well further increase our understanding of the amazing biodiversity and changes throughout the Earths history. And in doing so, well also gain a greater understanding of the mechanisms of evolution itself.

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Thomas Cullen, Postdoctoral Fellow, Earth Sciences, Carleton University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Also Read | Scientists have traced Earths path through the galaxy via tiny crystals in the crust

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A newly found gigantic dinosaur evolved akin to Tyrannosaurus rex - EastMojo

For Colin Reed, Ryman Hospitality Properties' CEO, diversity and inclusion as the company's north star isn't a new idea but rather integrating the values that he passed down to his sons.

Tennessee Voices: A conversation with Colin Reed

Colin Reed, chairman and CEO of Ryman Hospitality, spoke with Tennessean opinion editor David Plazas.

Nashville Tennessean

The Ryman Auditorium in downtown Nashville is full of complicated history that involves both Confederate imagery and also a long traditionof supporting civil rights.

Colin Reed, CEO of Ryman Hospitality Properties, and his team understand this contradiction and they have deliberately worked to do the right thing, learning lessons along the way.

The goal is to create an inclusive place that honors the Ryman's legacy and welcomes the future performers and fans of country music.

This is the second in a series of columns about how country music industry leaders are responding to the racial reckoning in America.

On awarm Friday evening in downtown Nashville, I walkdown Rep. John Lewis Waytoa Walker Hayes concert at the Ryman Auditorium.

I hearloud party buses, smell the odor of booze and watch woo girls take overthe streets.

Once inside the "Mother Church of Country Music"alongside my Tennessean colleague, Marcus K. Dowling, we move over the creaking hardwood floors as we takeour center balcony seats inthe hall's famous wooden pews.

I am a Tullahoma native and new fan to country music who is still trying to figure out my place as a Black man in this genre.

During the concert, Dowling, our country music columnist, points to the right side of the balcony section and tells me that's where the 1897 Confederate Gallery sign used to be.

I found myself shocked to learn that history among the music and cheering crowd.

In 1897, the sign was put up after thousands of Confederate soldiers came to the Ryman for their annual reunion. A plantation owner and Confederate general led the fundraising efforts to build the gallery, so the Ryman had enough space for the reunion.

In 2017, the Ryman decided to remove the banner from the balcony. Away from the venue's main hall, it is now locatedin their off-stage tour.

The sign represents the all-too-familiarcomplicated conversation surrounding race and history.

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Review: Allison Russell, Fisk Jubilee Singers seamlessly blend sacred, secular music at the Ryman

The truth is that in 130 years, there are bound to be dark parts of history. And therefore, you have to be committed and willing to address race.

For Reed, Ryman Hospitalitys CEO, having diversity and inclusion as the company's north star isn't a new idea but rather integrating the values into the company that he passed down to his sons.

The reality of race in America became apparent to Reed when his familymoved from London to Memphis. In a private school, his son was bullied by white classmates after befriending a Black soccer teammate.

"(My son) was completely and utterly mortified by this. He didn't understand the ridicule. (Tyrell) was his friend," said Reed, who is white.

Reed's wife went to the school to address the bullying. But unfortunately, the school's headmaster and teacher told them there was nothing they could do to stop it.

Reed compared that moment to the Heisman stiff arm. After that,he and his wife decided to take their sons out of that school.

That situation led Reed to understand that you might not have all the answers, but there's still something you can do.

The Ryman is dubbed "the soul of Nashville" for a reason. The Mother Church has been Music City's beacon since it was built in 1892.

Visiting the Mother Church in May, I discovered rich history. For instance, in 1961, TheRyman was host to "A Tribute To The Freedom Riders" benefit concert to aid Dr. Martin Luther King's civilrights work.

During the benefit's intermission, Dr. King awarded scholarships to college students who completed the Freedom Rides. One of those students was John Lewis.

It's also been home to Confederate reunions, but at the end of the day, it's Ryman history.

"In order for you to know where you're going, you've got toknow where youve been," Reed said. "You can learn a lot from history, good and bad."

Reed continued to speak about the Confederate Gallery banner, saying that keeping the sign in the building was about preserving the Ryman's history. "Knowing history is important and it's not validating history; it's just knowing what went on and why."

Reed's point of knowing history is a tough pill to swallow in our country.In Tennessee, teaching of Black and LGBTQ histories the unauthorized way may lead to the loss of school funding.

Reed also sees the business side as another way to move the diversity conversation forward.

He sets his business infrastructure on three staples:Consumers, employment practices and artists. He seeks to weavediversity into this framework.

"If you have a business that has positioned itself to (cater to consumers),those consumers are not all white men, those consumers are a very diverse group of people, " says Reed. "Your organization should haverepresentation that looks like your customer base."

With a net worth exceeding$4.7billion, Ryman Hospitality Properties is one of Nashville's economic powerhouses. The company's portfolioincludes the Ryman, Grand Ole Opry House, Gaylord Opryland Resort &Convention Center, Wildhorse Saloon, and the Broadway Honky Tonk Ole Red, a partnership with Country Artist Blake Shelton, all in Nashville, as well as several ventures in other cities.

Everyone, Black or white, is drawn to the magic that lives within the Ryman and the GrandOle Opry house. I stepped into both auditoriums and felt like I was back in my home church in Tullahoma.

What makes the GrandOle Opry house special is that it's a place where country music's past, present and history are constantly intertwined. For Dan Rogers,vice president and executive producer of the Grand Ole Opry, the beauty of that dynamic is not lost on him.

"It's an honor and a responsibility," said Rogers. "The honor speaks for itself for anybodywho comes to see a show (at the Opry House). The responsibility to me isto propel the music the Opry's been known for throughout its history but also the responsibility to get it right, to realize the Opry and country music has made mistakes along the way in a 96-year history. While you can't change history, we can make sure we're doing everything we can now to celebrate the parts that need to be celebrated and work toward an inclusive and enjoyable history."

Evolution of country music: Rissi Palmer empowers herself, other acclaimed artists rising from country music's margins

Inspiration: Adia Victoria, Lizzie No inspire Black female creativity by reconnecting to the blues

The Opry is frankly a majority white space. And with that comes a small margin of error when gaining a more diverse audience and artist lineup.

In January, the Opry drew criticism when Morgan Wallen, the country artist once caught on camera saying a racial slur in Nashville, made asurprise appearance at anERNEST performance at the venue.

During the interview I heldwith Ryman leaders, they confirmed they knewof Wallen's appearance 72 hours before the show show.

The criticism against the Opry is important, but it's also vital to examine their efforts.

Marty Stuart talks about the significance of playing at the Ryman

An excerpt from Ken Burns' documentary "Country Music" on PBS

Opry statistics highlight a rise in diversity.

For example, Opry statistics show a 9% increase in artists of color who've taken the Opry stage from 2017 to May 2022.

Beyond just a statistic, this increase shows that the Opry team sees inclusion as a part of their future.

Another bright spot for the Opryis creating in 2019 the Opry Next Stage program, where upcoming artists can showcase their talents. Next Stage seeks to help youngartists succeed by providing promotional support for their brand. This is where Ryman Hospitality can push its diversity efforts by ensuring each Next Stage class includes artists from many backgrounds.

Jordan Pettit, the director of artist relations and programming strategy forOpry Entertainment Group, believes the Opry is on the right track.

"The Opry is trying to offer country music credibility tobold artists with unique backgrounds and life experienceswhose originality comes to the forefront under the spotlight," Pettit said. "We're attempting to speak to a broader array of audiences about [country music's] vibrant, diverse futureacross the Opry Entertainment Suite brands."

Both the Grand Opry House and Ryman Auditorium aresynonymous with Nashville. They both brighten the beacon that attracts millions to come to Music City every year.

Not only do they attract visitors, but they house a generational spirit that artists get to embrace.

New Orleans native Joy Clarkperformed at the Ryman with Allison Russell and the Fisk Jubilee Singers on June 28 and felt compelled by the spirits housed at the Mother Church.

"It felt like a wall of protective Black sound, an army, a fortress of ancestors protecting us. I've never experienced joy like that,on that song," Clark said. "That level of spirituality is how the Ryman should feel, forever, for Black people singing out ancestry."

Country artist Rissi Palmer's recent performance at the Opry signified a full circle moment for her as she had the opportunity to invite long-time friend and fellow country artist Miko Marks to perform songs including The Judds' classic "Flies On The Butter."

The actbrought 2014 Country Music Hall of FamerRonnie Milsap's words about the Opry to life: I feel this is a family here, so kinda regardless of whatever happens in your life, you always can come home to the Grand Ole Opry, thank God.

Reed, Rogers and the rest of the Ryman Hospitality team have a passion for these famed venues and the artists who come through them.

And with that, the evolution of country music will continue.

LeBron Hill is an opinion columnist for the USA TODAY Network Tennessee and the curator of theBlack Tennessee Voices newsletter. Feel free to contact him atLHill@gannett.comor 615-829-2384.Find him on Twitter at@hill_bronor Instagram at@antioniohill12.

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For the Ryman and Grand Ole Opry, country music's evolution takes center stage | Hill - Tennessean