bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hodge Theory of Holomorphic Vector Bundle on Compact Kähler Hyperbolic Manifold
Authors: Huang Teng
Published: August 2021

Let $E$ be a holomorphic vector bundle over a compact Kähler manifold $(X,\omega )$ with negative sectional curvature $sec\leq -K<0$ and $D_{E}$ be the Chern connection on $E$. In this article, we show that if $C:=|[\Lambda ,i\Theta (E)]|\leq c_{n}K$, then $(X,E)$ satisfy a family of Chern number inequalities. The main idea in our proof is to study the $L^{2}$$\bar {\partial }_{\tilde {E}}$-harmonic forms on lifting bundle $\tilde {E}$ over the universal covering space $\tilde {X}$. We also observe that there is a close relationship between the eigenvalue of the Laplace–Beltrami operator $\Delta _{\bar {\partial }_{\tilde {E}}}$ and the Euler characteristic of $X$. Precisely, if there is a line bundle $L$ on $X$ such that $\chi ^{p}(X,L^{\otimes m})$ is not constant for some integers $p\in [0,n]$, then the Euler characteristic of $X$ satisfies $(-1)^{n}\chi (X)\geq (n+1)+\lfloor \frac {c_{n}K}{2nC} \rfloor $.
Developing Students’ “Soft Skills” through the Flipped Classroom: Evidence from an International Studies Class
Authors: Betti Andrea , Biderbost Pablo , Domonte Aurora García
Published: August 2021

The goal of this study is to evaluate the application of the flipped classroom (FC) format in the international studies curriculum. Previous research has examined the impact of the FC on students’ performance, operationalized by test scores, and demonstrated the utility of this technique in the learning process. Our research goes beyond student performance to evaluate the impact of the FC on student class attendance and the development of a set of soft skills, such as teamwork, critical thinking, self-efficacy, academic self-concept, and perception of learning. In our experiment, we compare an FC with a non-flipped class that combines traditional lecturing with other active learning techniques, such as presentations, teamwork activities, and problem-based debates. The study finds that the FC did not have a substantial impact on either students’ performance, attendance, or soft skills. The differences between the two groups were too small to corroborate any tendency in favor of one or the other format. For the most part, students performed in a similar way. This can suggest that the benefits of an FC format might be less when compared with other active learning techniques.
Impact of including the cause of missing records on genetic evaluations for growth in commercial pigs
Authors: Hollifield Mary Kate , Lourenco Daniela , Tsuruta Shogo , Bermann Matias , Howard Jeremy T , Misztal Ignacy
Published: August 2021

It is of interest to evaluate crossbred pigs for hot carcass weight (HCW) and birth weight (BW); however, obtaining a HCW record is dependent on livability (LIV) and retained tag (RT). The purpose of this study is to analyze how HCW evaluations are affected when herd removal and missing identification are included in the model and examine if accounting for the reasons for missing traits improves the accuracy of predicting breeding values. Pedigree information was available for 1,965,077 purebred and crossbred animals. Records for 503,716 commercial three-way crossbred terminal animals from 2014 to 2019 were provided by Smithfield Premium Genetics. Two pedigree-based models were compared; model 1 (M1) was a threshold-linear model with all four traits (BW, HCW, RT, and LIV), and model 2 (M2) was a linear model including only BW and HCW. The fixed effects used in the model were contemporary group, sex, age at harvest (for HCW only), and dam parity. The random effects included direct additive genetic and random litter effects. Accuracy, dispersion, bias, and Pearson correlations were estimated using the linear regression method. The heritabilities were 0.11, 0.07, 0.02, and 0.04 for BW, HCW, RT, and LIV, respectively, with standard errors less than 0.01. No difference was observed in heritabilities or accuracies for BW and HCW between M1 and M2. Accuracies were 0.33, 0.37, 0.19, and 0.23 for BW, HCW, RT, and LIV, respectively. The genetic correlation between BW and RT was 0.34 ± 0.03, and between BW and LIV was 0.56 ± 0.03. Similarly, the genetic correlation between HCW and RT was 0.26 ± 0.04, and between HCW and LIV was 0.09 ± 0.05, respectively. The positive and moderate genetic correlations between BW and other traits imply a heavier BW resulted in a higher probability of surviving to harvest. Genetic correlations between HCW and other traits were lower due to the large quantity of missing records. Despite the heritable and correlated aspects of RT and LIV, results imply no major differences between M1 and M2; hence, it is unnecessary to include these traits in classical models for BW and HCW.
Compensatory feeding during early gestation for sows with a high weight loss after a summer lactation increased piglet birth weight but reduced litter size
Authors: Liu Fan , Braden Casie J , Smits Robert J , Craig Jessica R , Henman David J , Brewster Chris J , Morrison Rebecca S , Athorn Rebecca Z , Leury Brian J , Zhao Weicheng , Cottrell Jeremy J , Dunshea Frank R , Bell Alan W
Published: August 2021

Sows mated in summer produce a greater proportion of born-light piglets (<1.1 kg) which contributes to increased carcass fatness in the progeny population. The reasons for the low birth weight of these piglets remain unclear, and there have been few successful mitigation strategies identified. We hypothesized that: 1) the low birth weight of progeny born to sows mated in summer may be associated with weight loss during the previous summer lactation; and 2) increasing early gestation feed allowance for the sows with high lactational weight loss in summer can help weight recovery and improve progeny birth weight. Sows were classified as having either low (av. 1%) or high (av. 7%) lactational weight loss in their summer lactation. All the sows with low lactational weight loss (LLStd) and half of the sows with high lactational weight loss received a standard gestation feeding regime (HLStd) (2.6 kg/d; day 0–30 gestation), whereas the rest of the sows with high lactational weight loss received a compensatory feed allowance (HLComp) (3.5 kg/d; day 0–30 gestation). A comparison of LLStd (n = 75) versus HLStd sows (n = 78) showed that this magnitude of weight loss over summer lactation did not affect the average piglet or litter birth weight, but such results may be influenced by the higher litter size (P = 0.030) observed in LLStd sows. A comparison of HLStd versus HLComp (n = 81) sows showed that the compensatory feeding increased (P = 0.021) weight gain of gestating sows by 6 kg, increased (P = 0.009) average piglet birth weight by 0.12 kg, tended to reduce (P = 0.054) the percentage of born-light piglets from 23.5% to 17.1% but reduced the litter size by 1.4 (P = 0.014). A subgroup of progeny stratified as born-light (0.8–1.1 kg) or -normal (1.3–1.7 kg) from each sow treatment were monitored for growth performance from weaning until 100 kg weight. The growth performance and carcass backfat of progeny were not affected by sow treatments. Born-light progeny had lower feed intake, lower growth rate, higher G:F, and higher carcass backfat than born-normal progeny (all P < 0.05). In summary, compensatory feeding from day 0 to 30 gestation in the sows with high weight loss during summer lactation reduced the percentage of born-light progeny at the cost of a lower litter size, which should improve growth rate and carcass leanness in the progeny population born to sows with high lactational weight loss.
Testing for Prohibited Substances in Rural Agricultural Show Exhibits: A Twenty-Three Year Experience
Authors: Schembri Mark , Suann Craig , Keledjian John , McIntyre Bradley , Lerner Jacob , Suttie Joseph
Published: August 2021

The administration of prohibited substances has been used in agricultural show competitions and animal racing industries to gain unfair competitive advantages. We report the first large prospectively designed descriptive study of drug testing in four species (n = 1,598) over a 23 year period. 4.7% of tested exhibits returned positive results. Commonly detected substances included legitimate veterinary therapeutics such as the sedative acepromazine and the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory phenylbutazone. Targeted testing was more likely to return a positive result than random screening (50 vs 4.7% respectively) although numbers in this targeted sample were small (n = 12). Random drug testing programs were successful in detecting the minority of exhibits using prohibited substances although a wide variety of drugs were found to be used. Further vigilance and research is required in an ever-changing competitive climate to remain at the forefront of detecting new medications in animal show competitions.
A taxonomic revision ofPennellaOken, 1815 based on morphology and genetics (Copepoda: Siphonostomatoida: Pennellidae)
Authors: Suyama Satoshi , Yanagimoto Takashi , Nakai Kazuyoshi , Tamura Tsutomu , Shiozaki Ko , Ohshimo Seiji , Chow Seinen
Published: August 2021

The taxonomy of the genus PennellaOken, 1815, a large parasitic copepod, is in a deplorable state. We performed morphological and genetic analyses on 52 Pennella individuals collected from 12 species of definitive hosts. Based on the morphological characteristics and their hosts, 29 individuals were determined or suggested to be large-size species (P. balaenoptera, P. filosa, P. instructa, and P. benzi), whereas 20 were considered intermediate- or small-size species. The remaining three small individuals, presumed to be newly attached, exhibited insufficient morphological characteristics for species identification or grouping. Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COI) sequence analysis detected 154 haplotypes from 52 individuals classified into Groups I–IV. Sequences of Group IV were determined to be pseudogenes. Levels of divergence between all groups were significant (FST = 0.488–0.830, P < 0.001). All haplotypes of Group I were detected in intermediate- and small-size groups possessing large and well-branched antennary processes on the cephalothorax. Although Groups I and II exhibited the smallest difference in nucleotide sequence divergence (FST = 0.488 and K2P = 1.485 ± 0.355%), the morphological characteristics of Group I appeared to be distinct from those of the other groups. The substantial sequence divergence (FST = 0.830 and K2P = 4.123 ± 0.719%) between Groups II and III also supported their species status, but no characteristic morphological difference was observed between individuals in these groups. Results suggest that Pennella may contain only two or three species. and that some morphological characteristics and definitive host species previously used for species identification are not valid.
Improvement of the comfort perception scale in oral mucositis
Authors: Erden Yasemin , Ipek Coban Gulay
Published: August 2021

Objective

The study was conducted to develop a valid and reliable measurement tool for determining the comfort perceptions of patients with oral mucositis.

Method

The study was carried out methodologically between April 2017 and October 2019 in outpatient chemotherapy centers and clinics in which malignant patients were treated in a university hospital and educational-research hospital in Erzurum, Turkey of the study sample comprised 380 patients who developed oral mucositis after treatment. A ‘Patient Identification Information Form,’ draft ‘Comfort Perception Scale in Oral Mucositis’ and ‘General Comfort Scale’ were used to collect the study data. Validity and reliability analyses were used when evaluating the data. Percentage, mean, independent groups t-test, Mann–Whitney U test, Kruskal–Wallis test, variance analysis and advanced analyzes were also used.

Results

In this study, while the face validity of the scale was obtained, the content validity index was found to be 0.62 Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin value of the scale for explanatory factor analysis was 0.94, and Bartlett’s test x2 = 9142.156 (P < 0.05). For the confirmatory factor analysis, the corrected chi-square value was 3.54, the root-mean-square error was 0.082, and the scale structure was confirmed according to these results. As a result, the scale consisted of 31 items and 2 sub-scales. Item-total correlation values ranged from 0.83 to 0.33. As a result of similar scale validity, a significant negative correlation was found between the Comfort Perception Scale in Oral Mucositis and General Comfort Scale scores (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The Comfort Perception Scale in Oral Mucositis is a reliable and valid scale. In this study, it was determined that patient comfort was affected according to some variables.
Highlights in Veterinary Entomology, 2020: The Importance of the Contributions of Government Scientists to Research in Veterinary Entomology
Authors: Lohmeyer Kimberly H
Published: August 2021

The field of veterinary entomology is primarily associated with the study of arthropods that impact the health of animals. Papers featured in the compilation of highlighted research from 2020 focused on studies conducted by scientists from the federal government that sought to understand and manage arthropods associated with wild and domesticated animals. The topics of these articles included research from the basic tenets of veterinary entomology: 1) biology and ecology of economically important pests, 2) novel control tactics and resistance management, 3) genomics, and 4) pathogen transmission. Key findings of the highlighted papers are presented and discussed to serve as a presentation record.
Current Status of Pyrethroids Resistance inAedes aegypti(Culicidae: Diptera) in Lahore District, Pakistan: A Novel Mechanistic Insight
Authors: Nawaz Saira , Tahir Hafiz Muhammad , Asif Mahmood Muhammad , Summer Muhammad , Ali Shaukat , Ali Aamir , Gormani Ali Haidar
Published: August 2021

Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762) is a major vector responsible for dengue transmission. Insecticides are being used as the most effective tool to control vector populations in Lahore, Pakistan. Control of Ae. aegypti is threatened by the development of resistance against insecticides. The current status of insecticide resistance was evaluated against pyrethroids (deltamethrin, cypermethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin) in different populations of Lahore (Model Town, Mishri Shah, Sadar Cantt, Walton, and Valencia). The susceptibility of the larval and adult populations was tested following the standard WHO guidelines. Moderate to high levels of resistance were found against pyrethroids in the larval (RR50: 3.6–27.2 and RR90: 5–90) and adult populations (percentage mortality < 98%). Biochemical assays revealed a statistically significant increase in the enzyme level in all field populations compared to the laboratory strain. The value of esterase was one-fold higher, monooxygenase was 3.9- to 4.7-fold higher, and glutathione S-transferases was 1.9- to 2.6-fold higher in field populations compared to the laboratory strain. These results depict the presence of resistance against deltamethrin, cypermethrin, and lambda-cyhalothrin in field populations of Lahore mediated by metabolic enzymes i.e. esterases, monooxygenases, and glutathione S-transferase.
Electroacupuncture Alleviates Neuroinflammation and Motor Dysfunction by Regulating Intestinal Barrier Function in a Mouse Model of Parkinson Disease
Authors: Ma Xue , Wang Qiang , Yuan Wei , Wang Yuan , Zhou Feng , Kang Kaiwen , Tong Xiaopeng , Liu Zhibin
Published: August 2021

Gastrointestinal dysfunction is the main nonmotor characteristic of Parkinson disease (PD), manipulation of gastrointestinal function by altering gut-brain axis is a potentially novel entry point for the treatment of PD. Acupuncture has been reported to confer beneficial effects in the gastrointestinal diseases. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the effects and mechanism of acupuncture on the pathophysiology and gastrointestinal function of PD. A PD mouse model was established by rotenone, and electroacupuncture was used to regulate the gastrointestinal function. Rotenone was found to induce the types of brain pathologies and gastrointestinal dysfunction that are similar to those observed with PD. Electroacupuncture significantly increased the spontaneous activity of mice with PD and increased the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase, while reducing the expression of Iba-1 in substantia nigra (SN), suggesting that motor dysfunction and neurological damage was alleviated. In addition, electroacupuncture significantly reduced the deposition of α-synuclein in both colon and SN, reduced intestinal inflammation, and exerted protective effects on enteric nervous system and intestinal barrier. In conclusion, electroacupuncture confers beneficial effects on the gastrointestinal system of mice with PD and can alleviate neuroinflammation and neuropathic injury by inhibiting intestinal inflammation, promoting intestinal barrier repair and reducing α-synuclein deposition in the colon.
Ethical Issues
Authors: Menzel Paul T.
Published: August 2021

Voluntary stopping eating and drinking (VSED) has strong similarities to refusing treatment, with a person’s right to use VSED nearly as firm as the widely accepted right to refuse lifesaving treatment. VSED is less similar to medical assistance in dying (MAID), and the moral justification of allowing MAID is more problematic than the justification of VSED, in part because of the more direct involvement of clinicians. MAID and VSED share some of the same challenges, however, including criticism that they both involve suicide and assisting suicide. VSED survives those challenges well without depending on specific statutory exemption for caregivers from constituting assistance in a suicide as MAID does. Whether to inform potentially interested but unaware patients of VSED as a permissible option requires sensitivity to variations among individual patients and often difficult discretionary judgment.
Legal Issues
Authors: Pope Thaddeus M.
Published: August 2021

This chapter clarifies the legality of VSED for patients, families, and clinicians. Both clinicians and medical societies widely perceive VSED to be legal. While there continues to be variability, particularly in long-term care settings, legal uncertainty is generally not a significant barrier when the patient has decision-making capacity. Courts have repeatedly authorized VSED, and VSED falls squarely within broader, well-settled rights to refuse treatment and care. After establishing a patient’s right to VSED and a clinician’s correlative duty to honor that choice, the chapter explains why VSED probably does not constitute (1) the crime of assisted suicide, (2) the neglect of a vulnerable adult, or (3) a basis to invalidate life insurance policies. The chapter concludes by noting that while clinicians may have affirmative duties to discuss VSED, they also have rights to conscientiously object to participating.
Best Practices, Enduring Challenges, and Opportunities for SED by AD
Authors: Quill Timothy E. , Menzel Paul T. , Pope Thaddeus M. , Schwarz Judith K.
Published: August 2021

SED by AD begins with an advance directive specifying what eating and drinking limitations the person desires if decision-making capacity is lost and when to begin them. Both written and video instructions are recommended. SED by AD potentially prevents a preemptive choice to VSED by those still enjoying life but wanting to avoid a prolonged dementia death. Challenges to implementation include uncertainty about legality, and concerns about a patient’s possible ‘change of mind’ once capacity is lost. Family members and caregivers may become distressed about how to respond to subsequent requests for food or fluid. Should caregivers respond to the ‘then’ capacitated person who previously completed the directive or the ‘now’ incapacitated person who seems to want oral feedings? Ideally an AD for SED also articulates how caregivers should respond to apparent desires for fluids. Comfort feeding only (CFO) should be the ‘back up’ plan if SED by AD proves to be too difficult for the patient or caregivers.
Oncofertility
Authors: de Carvalho Bruno Ramalho , Rodrigues Jhenifer Kliemchen , Woodruff Teresa K.
Published: August 2021

Advances in cancer treatment, particularly chemotherapeutics, are expected to lead to significant improvements in survival rates. While cancer incidence and death rates are decreasing, quality of life after cancer may be reduced due to early functional failure of the gonads and, consequently, infertility, resulting from either the disease itself or its treatment. This chapter introduces clinicians to the new field of oncofertility and the ethical issues it raises. It will consider the situation of young cancer patients facing reproductive consequences globally, the retrieval of gametes or gonadal tissue from minors, and the use of these tissues long term. The field of oncofertility is new, but ethical considerations regarding reproductive interventions are old. Understanding how we approach these issues on a personal level and from the public’s perspective will be assessed in this chapter.
Children expressing themselves
Authors: Volans Amy , Brown Emma
Published: August 2021

Creative activities involving play, art, storytelling, and music are all normal and natural ways for children to interact with the world around them, and they can be powerful resources for facilitating and enhancing communication. They offer a forum for children to express their feelings, concerns, and questions through creative means, as well as providing a basis for exploring their experiences further. Given that children’s normal activities and outlets for expression of their feelings are often disrupted or reduced as a result of their illness or disability, it is even more important for creative activities and therapies to be provided and encouraged in all contexts of the child’s life, in hospital, hospice, school, and at home. These activities can be individually focused, family centred, or provided through group activities. In this chapter we review the clinical application and effectiveness of these creative therapeutic techniques in promoting expression and communication with children.
Impact on the family
Authors: Dussel Veronica , Jones Barbara
Published: August 2021

In this chapter, we will focus on the importance of caring for the family of a child with a life-limiting condition (LLC) or life-threatening condition as a unit, each of the family members being integral to the well-being and care of the others. We recognize that the family unit itself is embedded within a wider context including the health and social care system, and more broadly within its society and culture. We discuss the concept of family, exploring the impact of having a child with an LLC, and how families adjust to this. We then expand on considerations about how to offer effective and timely support and help. We have included parents’ narratives with the aim of adding depth to the discussion, and in recognition of the truth of families’ own experiences.
Multimodal analgesia in paediatric palliative care
Authors: Friedrichsdorf Stefan J.
Published: August 2021

Pain in hospitalized children is very common, under-recognized, and under-treated. In paediatric patients the pain might be not be caused by the underlying serious medical conditions alone, but also by their frequent exposure to painful procedures (e.g. bone marrow aspirations, dressing changes, lumbar punctures, blood draws, injections, etc.). Advanced paediatric pain treatment for children with serious illness usually requires multimodal analgesia, which may include medications from different analgesic classes, procedural interventions, rehabilitation, psychological, and/or integrative (‘non-pharmacological’) therapies that usually act synergistically for more effective paediatric pain control with fewer side effects than any single analgesic or modality.
Opioids and the World Health Organization pain ladder
Authors: Rigal Manuel , Martino Ricardo , Hain Richard
Published: August 2021

Opioids constitute the most important group of drugs in the management of pain in palliative care. Morphine is still the drug of choice and considered the ‘gold standard’ in opioid prescribing in children. Other opioids have some pharmacological differences that may confer some advantages (and disadvantages) in specific types of pain or particular clinical scenarios. Opioid prescription must follow World Health Organization (WHO) approach to pain management principles. Understanding the rationale behind these principles improves the achievement of an individualized prescription to ease the pain of a particular patient. Opioid initiation, titration, breakthrough pain handling, and opioid substitution are essential aspects of opioid management. Their knowledge constitutes a core skill in paediatric palliative pain medicine.
Integrative approach to pain and other symptoms
Authors: Steinhorn David M.
Published: August 2021

Palliative care and integrative medicine (IM) share many of the same goals of alleviating suffering, restoring wholeness, enhancing resiliency in the face of health challenges, and optimizing opportunities for personal growth and healing. Integrative approaches often contribute a sense of peace and wholeness that cannot be achieved with pharmacologic means alone. A range of integrative modalities is discussed in this chapter, which fit well with paediatric palliative care medicine in developed countries, as a complement to conventional medical efforts to cure disease or thwart its progression and reduce suffering. They also play an important role in many of the countries in the world, where less access to conventional Western medical care is available.
Skin symptoms
Authors: Hlela Carol , Albertyn Rene , Meiring Michelle
Published: August 2021

The skin is the body’s largest organ. Primary skin conditions may be life-threatening and include congenital disorders such as epidermolysis bullosa (EB) and acquired conditions such as large burn wounds. The skin may also be the organ where distressing symptoms of other systemic diseases manifest, including physical symptoms such as pain or pruritus, and psychological or emotional issues such as impacts on self-esteem. Such symptoms are hard to recognize and treat and there is a paucity of robust evidence-based treatment strategies. Nonetheless, a palliative care approach can make a significant difference to the distress experienced by these children and provide support to their families.
Planning care
Authors: Grunauer Michelle , Hynson Jenny
Published: August 2021

Care planning is not merely another task on the checklist for providing children’s palliative care (CPC), but rather can be regarded as the foundation for accomplishing nearly all other CPC goals. Based on continuous communication and holistic assessment, care planning is a means to facilitating patient-family quality of life, not an end in and of itself. This CPC task is important because it enables practitioners to celebrate patient-family autonomy, improve the delivery of care according to their wishes and values, and avoid uncertainty. Care planning is also foundational to other activities which are pivotal to quality of life, including communication, acceptance, and trust.
Quality improvement in paediatric hospice and palliative care
Authors: Blacker Susan , Thienprayoon Rachel
Published: August 2021

Emphasis on quality improvement (QI) can facilitate the dissemination of palliative care practices within the healthcare system. The opportunities for advancing the quality agenda in paediatric palliative care are significant. Research, evidence-based practice, and QI are necessary to transform knowledge into improved care for the unique population of children and families who receive palliative care. Barriers to implementation of QI need to be understood, and strategies need to be implemented, including ensuring adequate funding, and education, in order to provide the highest quality palliative and hospice care to children and their families.
Research in children’s palliative care
Authors: Siden Harold , Widger Kimberley
Published: August 2021

In this chapter, we outline why research in paediatric palliative care (PPC) is essential, describe the challenges to conducting research in children and families affected by life-threatening conditions (LTCs), and propose strategies for overcoming these obstacles in order to advance the field and ensure provision of optimal and scientifically sound care for our patients and their loved ones. The significant challenges to PPC research outlined in this chapter are daunting but not insurmountable. All healthcare professionals are encouraged to engage in or support systematic, rigorous research efforts to develop a more evidence-based approach to PPC.
Conclusion
Authors: Letheby Chris
Published: August 2021

The ‘Conclusion’ summarises the main ideas of Philosophy of Psychedelics and makes some suggestions for future research. The first part of the chapter provides a chapter-by-chapter summary of the arguments of the book, and lists the various testable predictions that follow from these arguments. The second part suggests some other directions for future research, pointing to outstanding questions about psychedelics in various fields of inquiry, including philosophy of science, philosophy of psychiatry, ethics, epistemology, and the philosophy of transformative experience. The third part reflects on the significance of the book’s two central theses: that the Comforting Delusion Objection to psychedelic therapy fails, and that an ‘Entheogenic Conception’ of psychedelics as agents of epistemic benefit and spiritual experience is both consistent with naturalism and plausible in light of our best current evidence.
Hinduism
Authors: Keshavan Matcheri S. , Gangadhar Bangalore N. , Pandurangi Ananda K.
Published: August 2021

Ancient Hindu scriptures such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad-Gita (the Gita) offer important insights to the mind and mental health in ways that are complementary to those derived from Western psychology. In the Gita, the mind and body are viewed in non-dualistic terms; mental health is defined not merely as the absence of ill health, but by the positive attributes of happiness independent of external gratification. Psychopathology is viewed as resulting from too much or misplaced attachment and a faulty concept of self leading to an excessive focus on the self. The prescription for such affliction includes unattached actions, accurate awareness of self and awakening mindfulness. Many parallels may be drawn between the Gita and the principles of Western psychotherapeutic models such as cognitive and metacognitive therapies. However, apart from insights into psychopathology and its treatment, the Gita sheds light on enhancing positive mental health as well. The Gita embodies several modern concepts from positive psychology, such as flow, intrinsic motivation, reappraisal of the self-concept, and the development of compassion. It is proposed that psychotherapeutic insights from the Gita and other traditional Hindu scriptures offer a comprehensive step-wise psychobiological meta-cognitive approach to prevention, intervention, and promotion of well-being. Comprehensive and culturally compatible psychotherapeutic models integrating Eastern and Western psychotherapeutic models merit attention.
The key role of spirituality in positive psychiatry and psychology
Authors: Hauck Simone , Cloninger C. Robert
Published: August 2021

The field of positive psychology and psychiatry has the goal of helping people to achieve greater happiness, fostering the factors that allow individuals, communities, and societies to thrive. It proposes a hierarchy of positive psychological character strengths, composed of 24 specific human qualities, including spirituality. Spiritually oriented well-being therapies are a promising and much-needed field. The bio-psycho-social model, developed by Cloninger and colleagues, is an empirically based model that considers the importance of spirituality in the human constitution and development, providing a systematic way to promote health as an integrated state, rather than merely the absence of disease or infirmity. Personality development depends on the creative process of integration through three complex adaptive systems of learning and memory, involving associative conditioning of habits, intentional self-control, and creative processes of self-awareness. The physical, mental, and spiritual aspects are interdependent, and must be addressed jointly aiming at a healthy, happy, and good life.
Spirituality and end-of-life experiences: Meeting the spiritual needs of the dying
Authors: Fenwick Peter , Mosqueiro Bruno Paz
Published: August 2021

Most patients in palliative care report that it is very important to receive health care that is respectful, compassionate, and culturally sensitive to their spiritual needs. Providing spiritual care to people approaching the end of life and understanding that their mental and spiritual experiences constitutes a key aspect to providing a more effective treatment and quality of life at this moment. End-of-life experience (ELE) provide comfort, and represents a source of spirituality and meaning to the dying. Spiritual experiences also give hope, meaning, and strength to family members and healthcare professionals dealing with terminal conditions and suffering. This chapter reviews the scientific evidence about ELEs and discusses the potential clinical implications of these experiences to healthcare practice. Different patients’ vignettes are presented to illustrate and provide practical guidance to understanding and addressing ELE and spiritual care in end-of-life care settings.
Telltale signs of metal recycling in the circumgalactic medium of a z ∼ 0.77 galaxy
Authors: Tejos N , López S , Ledoux C , Fernández-Figueroa A , Rivas N , Sharon K , Johnston E J , Florian M K , D’Ago G , Katsianis A , Barrientos F , Berg T , Corro-Guerra F , Hamel M , Moya-Sierralta C , Poudel S , Rigby J R , Solimano M
Published: August 2021

We present gravitational-arc tomography of the cool-warm enriched circumgalactic medium (CGM) of an isolated galaxy (‘G1’) at z ≈ 0.77. Combining VLT/MUSE adaptive-optics and Magellan/MagE echelle spectroscopy, we obtain partially resolved kinematics of Mg ii in absorption and [O ii] in emission. The unique arc configuration allows us to probe 42 spatially independent arc positions transverse to G1, plus four positions in front of it. The transverse positions cover G1’s minor and major axes at impact parameters of ≈10–30 and ≈60 kpc, respectively. We observe a direct kinematic connection between the cool-warm enriched CGM (traced by Mg ii) and the interstellar medium (traced by [O ii]). This provides strong evidence for the existence of an extended disc that co-rotates with the galaxy out to tens of kiloparsecs. The Mg ii velocity dispersion (σ ≈ 30–100 km s−1, depending on position) is of the same order as the modelled galaxy rotational velocity (vrot ≈ 80 km s−1), providing evidence for the presence of a turbulent and pressure-supported CGM component. We regard the absorption to be modulated by a galactic-scale outflow, as it offers a natural scenario for the observed line-of-sight dispersion and asymmetric profiles observed against both the arcs and the galaxy. An extended enriched co-rotating disc together with the signatures of a galactic outflow, are telltale signs of metal recycling in the z ∼ 1 CGM.
A speckle-imaging search for close triple companions of cataclysmic binaries
Authors: Shara Michael M , Howell Steve B , Furlan Elise , Gnilka Crystal L , Moffat Anthony F J , Scott Nicholas J , Zurek David
Published: August 2021

The orbital periods of most eclipsing cataclysmic binaries are not undergoing linear secular decreases of order a few parts per billion as expected from simple theory. Instead, they show several parts per million increases and decreases on time-scales of years to decades, ascribed to magnetic effects in their donors, triple companions, or both. To directly test the triple companion hypothesis, we carried out a speckle-imaging survey of six of the nearest and brightest cataclysmic variables. We found no main-sequence companions earlier than spectral types M4V in the separation range ∼0.02–1.2 arcsec, corresponding to projected linear separations of ∼2–100 au, and periods of ∼3–1000 yr. We conclude that main-sequence triple companions to cataclysmic variables are not very common, but cannot rule out the presence of the faintest M dwarfs or close brown dwarf companions.
AstroSat and MAXI view of Cygnus X-1: Signature of an ‘extreme’ soft nature
Authors: Kushwaha Ankur , Agrawal V K , Nandi Anuj
Published: August 2021

We present a detailed spectral and timing analysis of Cygnus X-1 with multi-epoch observations, during 2016–2019, by SXT and LAXPC onboard AstroSat. We model the spectra in broad energy range of $0.5\!-\!70.0\, \rm {keV}$ to study the evolution of spectral properties while Cygnus X-1 transited from hard state to an extreme soft state via intermediate states in 2017. Simultaneous timing features are also examined by modelling the power density spectra in $3.0\!-\!50.0\, \rm {keV}$. We find that during high-soft state (HSS) observations, made by AstroSat on 2017 October 24 (MJD 58050), the energy spectrum of the source exhibits an inner disc temperature ($kT\rm _{in}$) of $0.46 \pm 0.01\, \rm {keV}$, a very steep photon index (Γ) of 3.15 ± 0.03 along with a fractional disc flux contribution of ∼45 per cent. The power density spectrum in the range of $0.006\!-\!50.0\, \rm {Hz}$ is also very steep with a power-law index of 1.12 ± 0.04 along with a high root mean square value of ∼25 per cent. Comparing the spectral softness of HSS with those of previously reported, we confirm that AstroSat observed Cygnus X-1 in the ‘softest’ state. The lowest MAXI spectral hardness ratio of ∼0.229 corroborates the softest nature of the source. Moreover, we estimate the spin of the black hole by continuum-fitting method, which indicates that Cygnus X-1 is a maximally rotating ‘hole’. Further, Monte Carlo simulations are performed to estimate the uncertainty in spin parameter, which is constrained as a* > 0.9981 with 3σ confidence interval. Finally, we discuss the implications of our findings.
Insights into the structure and RNA-binding specificity of Caenorhabditis elegans Dicer-related helicase 3 (DRH-3)
Authors: Li Kuohan , Zheng Jie , Wirawan Melissa , Trinh Nguyen Mai , Fedorova Olga , Griffin Patrick R , Pyle Anna M , Luo Dahai
Published: August 2021

DRH-3 is critically involved in germline development and RNA interference (RNAi) facilitated chromosome segregation via the 22G-siRNA pathway in Caenorhabditis elegans. DRH-3 has similar domain architecture to RIG-I-like receptors (RLRs) and belongs to the RIG-I-like RNA helicase family. The molecular understanding of DRH-3 and its function in endogenous RNAi pathways remains elusive. In this study, we solved the crystal structures of the DRH-3 N-terminal domain (NTD) and the C-terminal domains (CTDs) in complex with 5′-triphosphorylated RNAs. The NTD of DRH-3 adopts a distinct fold of tandem caspase activation and recruitment domains (CARDs) structurally similar to the CARDs of RIG-I and MDA5, suggesting a signaling function in the endogenous RNAi biogenesis. The CTD preferentially recognizes 5′-triphosphorylated double-stranded RNAs bearing the typical features of secondary siRNA transcripts. The full-length DRH-3 displays unique structural dynamics upon binding to RNA duplexes that differ from RIG-I or MDA5. These features of DRH-3 showcase the evolutionary divergence of the Dicer and RLR family of helicases.
Developing and Validating Measures of Absolute and Relative E-Cigarette Product Risk Perceptions: Single Items Can Be Surprisingly Comprehensive
Authors: O’Brien Erin Keely , Baig Sabeeh A , Persoskie Alexander
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Tobacco risk perceptions are important predictors of behavior and are impacted by tobacco communications. Our systematic literature review (completed in 2018) found there were no measures of e-cigarette risk perceptions that were completely consistent with tobacco researcher recommendations (eg, specifying use frequency) and had demonstrated validity and reliability. The current study develops measures to assess specific risk perceptions, including absolute risks and risks compared with cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy, and all nicotine cessation.

Methods and Results

We generated a list of tobacco health effects based on our previous systematic review of tobacco risk perception measures. Based on health effects prioritized by regulatory science experts, we developed 63 items to assess seven types of e-cigarette risk perceptions: absolute health and addiction risks, health and addiction risks relative to cigarettes, pregnancy health risks relative to cigarettes, health risks relative to nicotine replacement therapy, and health risks relative to all nicotine cessation. We fielded these items in an online survey (N = 1642). Through reliability and validity analyses, we reduced this pool to 21 items, including many single-item measures. Supporting the measures’ validity, each measure was negatively associated with current e-cigarette use, e-cigarette intentions, and skepticism about e-cigarette harms; and positively associated with perceiving e-cigarettes as equally or more harmful than cigarettes and intentions to quit e-cigarettes.

Discussion

This study developed and validated brief measures of several types of e-cigarette risk perceptions. Surprisingly, we found that for many types of risk perceptions, multi-item measures were redundant and these perceptions were well-represented by single-item measures.

Implications

This study developed measures of seven types of e-cigarette health risk perceptions, including absolute health and addiction risk, and risk relative to cigarettes, nicotine replacement therapy, and cessation. We reduced 63 items to 21 to measure all of these constructs. These measures follow tobacco researcher recommendations, were developed using a rigorous measures development process, and demonstrated some aspects of reliability and validity. Because these measures are publicly available, they can be used by public health and industry researchers.
Prevalence of Gastrointestinal Pathogens Detected by Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction in a Prospective Cohort of Men Who Have Sex With Men Taking Human Immunodeficiency Virus Preexposure Prophylaxis—New York City, 2019–2020
Authors: Purpura Lawrence , Zucker Jason , LaSota Elijah , Lopez Mabel , Spicehandler Rebecca , Carnevale Caroline , Perez Edward , Richards Paul , Chang Jennifer , Cohall Al , Uhlemann Anne-Catrin , Whittier Susan , Sobieszczyk Magdalena E , Green Daniel A
Published: August 2021

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction testing for gastrointestinal pathogens was performed on a longitudinal cohort of 110 men who have sex with men taking human immunodeficiency virus preexposure prophylaxis. At least 1 pathogen was detected among 50 (45%) participants, with some participants testing positive for the same pathogen on multiple consecutive visits over a period of months.
Identification of the Genes Coding for Carthamin Synthase, Peroxidase Homologs that Catalyze the Final Enzymatic Step of Red Pigmentation in Safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.)
Authors: Waki Toshiyuki , Terashita Miho , Fujita Naoki , Fukuda Keishi , Kato Mikiya , Negishi Takashi , Uchida Hiromi , Aoki Yuichi , Takahashi Seiji , Nakayama Toru
Published: August 2021

Carthamin, a dimeric quinochalcone that is sparingly soluble in water, is obtained from the yellow-orange corolla of fully blooming safflower (Carthamus tinctorius L.) florets. Carthamin is a natural red colorant, which has been used worldwide for more than 4500 years and is the major component of Japanese ‘beni’ used for dyeing textiles, in cosmetics and as a food colorant. The biosynthetic pathway of carthamin has long remained uncertain. Previously, carthamin was proposed to be derived from precarthamin (PC), a water-soluble quinochalcone, via a single enzymatic process. In this study, we identified the genes coding for the enzyme responsible for the formation of carthamin from PC, termed ‘carthamin synthase’ (CarS), using enzyme purification and transcriptome analysis. The CarS proteins were purified from the cream-colored corolla of safflower and identified as peroxidase homologs (CtPOD1, CtPOD2 and CtPOD3). The purified enzyme catalyzed the oxidative decarboxylation of PC to produce carthamin using O2, instead of H2O2, as an electron acceptor. In addition, CarS catalyzed the decomposition of carthamin. However, this enzymatic decomposition of carthamin could be circumvented by adsorption of the pigment to cellulose. These CtPOD isozymes were not only expressed in the corolla of the carthamin-producing orange safflower cultivars but were also abundantly expressed in tissues and organs that did not produce carthamin and PC. One CtPOD isozyme, CtPOD2, was localized in the extracellular space. Based on the results obtained, a model for the stable red pigmentation of safflower florets during flower senescence and the traditional ‘beni’ manufacturing process is proposed.
The 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate proteome links folates with C/N metabolism and reveals feedback regulation of folate biosynthesis
Authors: Li Weichao , Liang Qiuju , Mishra Ratnesh Chandra , Sanchez-Mu�oz Raul , Wang Huan , Chen Xin , Van Der Straeten Dominique , Zhang Chunyi , Xiao Youli
Published: August 2021

Folates are indispensable for plant development, but their molecular mode of action remains elusive. We synthesized a probe, “5-F-THF-Dayne,” comprising 5-formyl-tetrahydrofolate (THF) coupled to a photoaffinity tag. Exploiting this probe in an affinity proteomics study in Arabidopsis thaliana, we retrieved 51 hits. Thirty interactions were independently validated with in vitro expressed proteins to bind 5-F-THF with high or low affinity. Interestingly, the interactors reveal associations beyond one-carbon metabolism, covering also connections to nitrogen (N) metabolism, carbohydrate metabolism/photosynthesis, and proteostasis. Two of the interactions, one with the folate biosynthetic enzyme DIHYDROFOLATE REDUCTASE-THYMIDYLATE SYNTHASE 1 (AtDHFR-TS1) and another with N metabolism-associated glutamine synthetase 1;4 (AtGLN1;4), were further characterized. In silico and experimental analyses revealed G35/K36 and E330 as key residues for the binding of 5-F-THF in AtDHFR-TS1 and AtGLN1;4, respectively. Site-directed mutagenesis of AtGLN1;4 E330, which co-localizes with the ATP-binding pocket, abolished 5-F-THF binding as well as AtGLN1;4 activity. Furthermore, 5-F-THF was noted to competitively inhibit the activities of AtDHFR-TS1 and AtGLN1;4. In summary, we demonstrated a regulatory role for 5-F-THF in N metabolism, revealed 5-F-THF-mediated feedback regulation of folate biosynthesis, and identified a total of 14 previously unknown high-affinity binding cellular targets of 5-F-THF. Together, this sets a landmark toward understanding the role of folates in plant development.