Ho-hum self-help book not so ho-hum

A book review of Therapy American Style: Person Power Through Self Help by Kenneth B. Mutheny and Richard J. Riordan

On 4-Dimensional J-Invariant Shrinking Ricci Solitons

As of today, there are very few known complete shrinking Ricci solitons in dimension 4, and all examples discovered so far are K\"ahler and/or Einstein. In this note, we prove that any four dimensional J-invariant gradient shrinking Ricci solitons satisfy a differential form identity relating K\"ahlerity annd Einstein-ness.Comment: 11 page

Measurement of charmonium production in PbPb collisions at sqrt(sNN) = 2.76 TeV with CMS

The Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) is fully equipped to measure hard probes in the di-muon decay channel in the high multiplicity environment of nucleus-nucleus collisions. Such probes are especially relevant for studying the quark-gluon plasma since they are produced at early times and propagate through the medium, mapping its evolution. CMS has measured the nuclear modification factors of non-prompt J/psi (from b-hadron decays) and prompt J/psi in PbPb collisions at sqrt{s_{NN}} = 2.76 TeV. For prompt J/psi with relatively high p_T (p_T=6.5-30 GeV/c), a strong, centrality-dependent suppression is observed in PbPb collisions, compared to the yield in pp collisions scaled by the number of inelastic nucleon-nucleon collisions. In the same kinematic range, a suppression of non-prompt J/psi, which is sensitive to the in-medium b-quark energy loss, is measured for the first time. Results from the 2010 data taking period are reported and an outlook on the 2011 data analysis will be given. In particular from 2011 data the Psi(2S) measurement is available and their double ratio respect to the J/psi in pp and PbPb will be shown.Comment: Presented at HP2012: Hard Probes 201

Am J Infect Control

We describe the proportion of health care facility-onset Clostridium difficile infection (HO-CDI) National Healthcare Safety Network laboratory-identified events at our facility that were deemed nontrue HO-CDIs. Reasons included testing in a patient without significant diarrhea or with recent laxative use, or delayed testing. Standardized infection ratios using only true HO-CDI in the numerator were improved compared with publically reported standardized infection ratios. A prioritization matrix identifies which clinical services could benefit most from directed diagnostic stewardship interventions.20182019-09-10T00:00:00ZU54 CK000447/CK/NCEZID CDC HHS/United States29305285PMC6734925777

J Hosp Infect

Background:Despite large reductions from 2005 to 2012, hospital-onset meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bloodstream infections (HO MRSA BSIs) continue to be a major source of morbidity and mortality.Aim:To describe risk factors for and underlying sources of HO MRSA BSIs.Methods:This study investigated HO MRSA BSIs at eight high-burden short-stay acute care hospitals. A case was defined as first isolation of MRSA from a blood specimen collected in 2016 on or after hospital day 4 from a patient without an MRSA-positive blood culture in the preceding 2 weeks. Case demographics and risk factors were reviewed by medical record abstraction. The potential clinical source(s) of infection were determined by consensus by a clinician panel.Findings:Of the 195 eligible cases, 186 were investigated. Cases were predominantly male (63%) and the median age was 57 years (range 0\u201392 years). In the 2 weeks preceding BSI, 88% of cases had indwelling devices, 31% underwent a surgical procedure and 18% underwent dialysis. The most common locations of attribution were intensive care units (ICUs) (46%) and step-down units (19%). The most commonly identified non-mutually exclusive clinical sources were central venous catheters (46%), non-surgical wounds (17%), surgical site infections (16%), non-ventilator healthcare-associated pneumonia (13%) and ventilator-associated pneumonia (11%).Conclusions:Device- and procedure-related infections were common sources of HO MRSA BSIs. Prevention strategies focused on improving adherence to existing prevention bundles for device-and procedure-associated infections and on source control for ICU patients, patients with certain indwelling devices, and patients undergoing certain high-risk surgeries are being pursued to decrease the burden of HO MRSA BSIs at these facilities.CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/2021-10-10T00:00:00Z32283173PMC785752910397vault:3649

Fuga hacia adentro: Tratado del amor clandestino, de Francisco Proaño Arandi

En este texto, la autora desarrolla, en primera instancia, una reflexión crítica en torno a la demanda de “extraterritorialidad” de la literatura ecuatoriana, que desde la década de los 90 del siglo pasado se ha constituido como en una especie de constante, esa ausencia ha impedido que la narrativa alcance los horizontes de universalidad, pues su fijación en lo local la ha atado, según ciertos juicios, a superar este tipo de lazo con el pasado. Ortega examina este debate a la luz de la tradición latinoamericana, en donde tiene sus antecedentes e historia, incluso pone como ejemplo la célebre discusión entre el narrador peruano J. M. Arguedas y el argentino J. Cortázar respecto a lo que significaba e implicaba lo nacional-local y el ser cosmopolita entendido como la opción de universalidad. En segunda instancia, la crítica analiza la novela Tratado del amor clandestino, de F. Proaño Arandi, para poner en contraste lo que ese debate sugiere y de alguna manera demostrar que ese “viaje hacia dentro” de la historia íntima del drama de los personajes es, a su vez, un desplazamiento a lo que califica como un viaje a “los orígenes” que, a más de que lo expliquen como sujeto, lo ubican dentro de una historia de la que participan otras voces, otras presencias, realidades, memorias y actores.The author proposes in this article, firstly, a critical reflection about a claim for “extraterritoriality” in Ecuadorian literature which, since the 1990’s has become a constant, this absence has prevented Ecuadorian narrative to reach an universal status, since its ties to what is local has bound it, in the opinion of some, to the inability to overcome its ties to the past. Ortega studies this debate under the scope of the Latin American tradition, where its background and history reside. She even uses the well-known discussion between Peruvian writer J.M. Arguedas and Argentinean J. Cortázar about what the national- local implied, and the cosmopolitan being understood as an option of universality. Secondly, the author analyzes the novel Tratado del amor clandestino, by F. Proaño Arandi to make a contrast about what the debate suggests, and, in some way, prove that the “inward retreat” of the intimate story of the characters’ drama is, at the same time, a motion to what she describes as a journey to “the origin”. This, besides describing the main character as a subject, places him in a story that is shared by other voices, other presences, realities, memories and actors

Higher-order theories of consciousness and what-it-is-like-ness

Ambitious higher-order theories of consciousness aim to account for conscious states when these are understood in terms of what-it-is-like-ness. This paper considers two arguments concerning this aim, and concludes that ambitious theories fail. The misrepresentation argument against HO theories aims to show that the possibility of radical misrepresentation—there being a HO state about a state the subject is not in—leads to a contradiction. In contrast, the awareness argument aims to bolster HO theories by showing that subjects are aware of all their conscious states. Both arguments hinge on how we understand two related notions which are ubiquitous in discussions of consciousness: those of what-it-is-like-ness and there being something it is like for a subject to be in a mental state. This paper examines how HO theorists must understand the two crucial notions if they are to reject the misrepresentation argument but assert the awareness argument. It shows that HO theorists can and do adopt an understanding—the HO reading—which seems to give them what they want. But adopting the HO reading changes the two arguments. On this reading, the awareness argument tells us nothing about those states there is something it is like to be in, and so offers no support to ambitious HO theories. And to respond to the misrepresentation understood according to the HO reading is to simply ignore the argument presented, and so to give no response at all. As things stand, we should deny that HO theories can account for what-it-is-like-ness