The Mexican Revolution as seen through the novelistic works of Marti´n Luis Guzma´n

The Mexican Revolution, which disrupted the lives of our neighbors from 1910 to 1920 and continues to bring changes to today's Mexico, has entered literature through the work of many writers. Each author, having his own perspective on this turning point in his nation's history, has portrayed the Revolution differently. Mariano Azuela, who served as a doctor on the battlefields, saw the Revolution as a great upheaval of the masses, who had to revolt even though they could not clearly state their goals. Nellie Campobello was a child during these years, and her novels reflect the perspective of one to whom the bloodshed and death of the Revolution were ordinary occurences. Gregorio López y Fuentes fought the United States troops at Veracruz and then participated in battles in the provinces; he saw the Revolution through the eyes of the peasants and soldiers who died in it. And Martín Luis Guzmán, an observer in the circle of leaders of the Revolution, saw the upheaval as the manipulation of power by various caudillos, some idealistic and some opportunistic. The masses are not important in his view of the Revolution, nor did upheaval ever become the norm for him

Personality type, locus of control and sex role orientation as predictors within two moral perspectives among young adults

The present study investigated the relationships between personality type, locus of control orientation, and sex role orientation and the levels of each of the care and justice perspectives in young adults. Subjects were 134 18 to 25 years old, male and female, caucasian, technical community college students who were enrolled in a college transfer curriculum. They were administered five paper-and-pencil instruments: the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator; Rotter's Internal/External Scale; the Bem sex Role Inventory; the Relationship Self Inventory; and the Defining Issues Test. Separate multiple stepwise discriminant analyses were performed to test each of the hypotheses. The analyses provided partial support for three of the six hypotheses. Within the care ethic, individuals at the third level were found to be androgynous, externally controlled, and to value responsibility in relationships. Those at level two were masculine, internally controlling rule-followers. Care level one persons were feminine, internally controlling, who valued responsibility in relationships

Creativity and risk-taking in young children

The purpose of this research study was to examine self-assessment of risk-taking attitudes of young children in relationship to IQ and creativity ratings by teachers. A model of identification for young, gifted children was proposed which gave equal weight to cognitive, affective, and creative traits. Risk-taking was included in the model as an important means of assessing affective traits of creativity. Review of literature examined traditional measures of giftedness and the relationship of these measures to divergent or creative thinking. Prior research studies established creativity as a separate entity from IQ and teachers' attitudes toward risk-taking or non-conforming behavior of students as more negative than their attitudes toward conforming students. Risk-taking was established as a motivating drive in creativity

Haem Polymerization Inhibitory Activity and Cytotoxicity of Six Medicinal Plants Used in Cameroon for the Management of Malaria

Malaria was successfully treated with both natural and synthetic products. However, recent progress in battling malaria has stalled due to drug resistance. Therefore, the search of novel antimalarials capable of reversing or evading resistance is much needed and this could be achieved through ethnomedicinal approaches. Six medicinal plants were screened for their antimalarial activity using the β-hematin inhibition (BHI) assay and their effect on the proliferation of three cancer cell lines (A549, MCF7 and PC3) was assessed by the MTT assay. Amongst the twenty-seven extracts screened, Pseudospondias microcarpa bark showed significant BHI activities with IC50 values of 2.5 ± 0.1 and 4.0 ± 0.2 µg/mL for DCM and MeOH extracts, respectively, while having no cytotoxic effect on A549, MCF7 and PC3. The current results support the ethnopharmacological use of P. microcarpa in the treatment of malaria, and it could constitute a useful source of potent antimalarial compounds

Renal artery stenosis-when to screen, what to stent?

Renal artery stensosis (RAS) continues to be a problem for clinicians, with no clear consensus on how to investigate and assess the clinical significance of stenotic lesions and manage the findings. RAS caused by fibromuscular dysplasia is probably commoner than previously appreciated, should be actively looked for in younger hypertensive patients and can be managed successfully with angioplasty. Atheromatous RAS is associated with increased incidence of cardiovascular events and increased cardiovascular mortality, and is likely to be seen with increasing frequency. Evidence from large clinical trials has led clinicians away from recommending interventional revascularisation towards aggressive medical management. There is now interest in looking more closely at patient selection for intervention, with focus on intervening only in patients with the highest-risk presentations such as flash pulmonary oedema, rapidly declining renal function and severe resistant hypertension. The potential benefits in terms of improving hard cardiovascular outcomes may outweigh the risks of intervention in this group, and further research is needed

Large-scale associations between the leukocyte transcriptome and BOLD responses to speech differ in autism early language outcome subtypes.

Heterogeneity in early language development in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is clinically important and may reflect neurobiologically distinct subtypes. Here, we identified a large-scale association between multiple coordinated blood leukocyte gene coexpression modules and the multivariate functional neuroimaging (fMRI) response to speech. Gene coexpression modules associated with the multivariate fMRI response to speech were different for all pairwise comparisons between typically developing toddlers and toddlers with ASD and poor versus good early language outcome. Associated coexpression modules were enriched in genes that are broadly expressed in the brain and many other tissues. These coexpression modules were also enriched in ASD-associated, prenatal, human-specific, and language-relevant genes. This work highlights distinctive neurobiology in ASD subtypes with different early language outcomes that is present well before such outcomes are known. Associations between neuroimaging measures and gene expression levels in blood leukocytes may offer a unique in vivo window into identifying brain-relevant molecular mechanisms in ASD

Deprescribing interventions and their impact on medication adherence in community-dwelling older adults with polypharmacy: a systematic review

Background: Polypharmacy, and the associated adverse drug events such as non-adherence to prescriptions, is a common problem for elderly people living with multiple comorbidities. Deprescribing, i.e. the gradual withdrawal from medications with supervision by a healthcare professional, is regarded as a means of reducing adverse effects of multiple medications including non-adherence. This systematic review examines the evidence of deprescribing as an effective strategy for improving medication adherence amongst older, community dwelling adults. Methods: A mixed methods review was undertaken. Eight bibliographic database and two clinical trials registers were searched between May and December 2017. Results were double screened in accordance with pre-defined inclusion/exclusion criteria related to polypharmacy, deprescribing and adherence in older, community dwelling populations. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used for quality appraisal and an a priori data collection instrument was used. For the quantitative studies, a narrative synthesis approach was taken. The qualitative data was analysed using framework analysis. Findings were integrated using a mixed methods technique. The review was performed in accordance with the PRISMA reporting statement. Results: A total of 22 original studies were included, of which 12 were RCTs. Deprescribing with adherence as an outcome measure was identified in randomised controlled trials (RCTs), observational and cohort studies from 13 countries between 1996 and 2017. There were 17 pharmacy-led interventions; others were led by General Practitioners (GP) and nurses. Four studies demonstrated an overall reduction in medications of which all studies corresponded with improved adherence. A total of thirteen studies reported improved adherence of which 5 were RCTs. Adherence was reported as a secondary outcome in all but one study. Conclusions: There is insufficient evidence to show that deprescribing improves medication adherence. Only 13 studies (of 22) reported adherence of which only 5 were randomised controlled trials. Older people are particularly susceptible to non-adherence due to multi-morbidity associated with polypharmacy. Bio-psycho-social factors including health literacy and multi-disciplinary team interventions influence adherence. The authors recommend further study into the efficacy and outcomes of medicines management interventions. A consensus on priority outcome measurements for prescribed medications is indicated

Group cognitive behavioural therapy for women with depression: pilot and feasibility study for a randomised controlled trial using mixed methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Group Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) may provide a means of improving mental health among people with depression but few studies have explored its effectiveness. Our aim was to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a randomised controlled trial of a group intervention based on CBT principles for women with depression in primary care.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Women aged 30 to 55 years were recruited and randomly assigned to either 12 weeks of the group intervention or usual care (control). The group intervention was based on a manual and used CBT and problem solving principles with weekly topics including raising activity levels, spotting and catching negative thoughts, problem solving and relaxation. Women were recruited from deprived areas of Bristol. The groups were run by facilitators with some experience and background in group work and one weeks training in use of the course manual. Assessments of mental health were made using measures including the PHQ-9. Follow-up was at 3 and 6 months after the intervention. Qualitative methods were used to support the design of the intervention and to help understand issues of acceptability and feasibility. Interviews were conducted with all participants at baseline and at 3 and 6 months although detailed qualitative analysis was based on a purposive sample of 20 participants at the 3 time points.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 86 participants assessed for eligibility, 52 were allocated to the intervention arm and 21 to the control group. The intervention was delivered according to the manual despite the limited training of the facilitators. The intervention was received favourably by participants and facilitators, with good attendance at sessions for those who engaged with the intervention. Follow up rates at 3 and 6 months for women in both the intervention and control arms were also good. The trial methodology used was appropriate and feasible.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study showed that a randomised controlled trial of group CBT for women with depression is feasible and the intervention is acceptable, and may possibly prove to be effective in a larger trial. The cost effectiveness of group CBT for depression should be explored further in a full trial.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p><a href="http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT00663078">NCT00663078</a></p

Citizen science in schools: Engaging students in research on urban habitat for pollinators

Citizen science can play an important role in school science education. Citizen science is particularly relevant to addressing current societal environmental sustainability challenges, as it engages the students directly with environmental science and gives students an understanding of the scientific process. In addition, it allows students to observe local representations of global challenges. Here, we report a citizen science programme designed to engage school-age children in real-world scientific research. The programme used standardized methods deployed across multiple schools through scientist–school partnerships to engage students with an important conservation problem: habitat for pollinator insects in urban environments. Citizen science programmes such as the programme presented here can be used to enhance scientific literacy and skills. Provided key challenges to maintain data quality are met, this approach is a powerful way to contribute valuable citizen science data for understudied, but ecologically important study systems, particularly in urban environments across broad geographical areas

Observation and study of baryonic B decays: B -> D(*) p pbar, D(*) p pbar pi, and D(*) p pbar pi pi

We present a study of ten B-meson decays to a D(*), a proton-antiproton pair, and a system of up to two pions using BaBar's data set of 455x10^6 BBbar pairs. Four of the modes (B0bar -> D0 p anti-p, B0bar -> D*0 p anti-p, B0bar -> D+ p anti-p pi-, B0bar -> D*+ p anti-p pi-) are studied with improved statistics compared to previous measurements; six of the modes (B- -> D0 p anti-p pi-, B- -> D*0 p anti-p pi-, B0bar -> D0 p anti-p pi- pi+, B0bar -> D*0 p anti-p pi- pi+, B- -> D+ p anti-p pi- pi-, B- -> D*+ p anti-p pi- pi-) are first observations. The branching fractions for 3- and 5-body decays are suppressed compared to 4-body decays. Kinematic distributions for 3-body decays show non-overlapping threshold enhancements in m(p anti-p) and m(D(*)0 p) in the Dalitz plots. For 4-body decays, m(p pi-) mass projections show a narrow peak with mass and full width of (1497.4 +- 3.0 +- 0.9) MeV/c2, and (47 +- 12 +- 4) MeV/c2, respectively, where the first (second) errors are statistical (systematic). For 5-body decays, mass projections are similar to phase space expectations. All results are preliminary.Comment: 28 pages, 90 postscript figures, submitted to LP0