Theorizing about the Self in Panpsychism and the Extended Mind Using the Dao De Jing (道德經) and Zhuangzi (莊子)

In this paper, I begin by briefly showing how the problem of self has been understood and approached historically in Western philosophy. I follow this by focusing on some of the recent literature in the philosophy of mind that suggests that the self is extended, meaning it is not solely located within the boundaries of the brain (Clark and Chalmers 1998). It will be evident that this is in conflict with the traditional Western understanding of the self. Since it seems to be the case that there are strong arguments for endorsing the view that the self is extended (to some degree), we ought to give the proper philosophical attention to such views, and using Daoist ideas will help to theorize about these unorthodox views. This will be the focus of the remainder of the paper, pulling primarily from the Dao De Jing (道德經) and Zhuangzi (莊子). It will be shown that some of these unorthodox views arising from the philosophy of mind bear a close connection to certain Daoist ideas; therefore, making it likely that they share common conceptual resources. I will conclude with some possible objections and responses to those objections. Ultimately, if the self is indeed extended, then this is unfamiliar to the Western mind. However, analyzing these unorthodox views using Daoist ideas may be a suitable tool in progressing our understanding of the self

Smoking Behaviors Among Pregnant Women: A Romanian Case Study

Smoking behavior during pregnancy is one of few preventable factors associated with poor health outcomes for both women and children. The post-communist countries in Central and Eastern Europe face many challenges in this realm, as tobacco control efforts have not adequately addressed this behavioral health issue that has arisen since 1989. To better inform these efforts in Romania, this study categorizes the determinants of pregnant women’s prior smoking, current smoking, and current smoke exposure by using both quantitative and qualitative analysis. We find that those living with other smokers, exposed to smoke on a daily basis, and experiencing stress during pregnancy are most at risk for harmful smoking behaviors. We suggest that future efforts involve both structural and service-based changes that are catered towards pregnant women. Structural changes include multi-sector integration for tobacco control, health system coordination and implementation of smoking cessation counseling, and improved monitoring of existing programs. Service-based changes include education programs, community-based efforts, and involving women’s partners in the smoking cessation process

Determining Environmental Changes Using Time Lapse Photography

This paper aims to use photographs throughout several years to observe, examine, and make conclusions on changes occurring at different areas of the Bath Nature Preserve. Throughout the years 2013-2021, photographs have been captured at roughly the same angle at multiple locations in the preserve. These photographs will be placed into a time lapse video and examined to physically see how the environment is changing. Changes to the environment could be natural or as a result of outside factors. By examining these changes, it can be determined if alterations need to be made to help the environment thrive. Two specific spots will be looked at in the preserve from several angles. Elements like water level and appearance, plant life and quantity, and animal life can be observed throughout time with these photographs. By acknowledging any change occurring, it can be determined if any threats pose danger to the area or if any precocious measures need to be taken to ensure a high quality environment

An Analysis of Treatment Patterns, Receipt of Guideline-Concordant Care, and Survival Outcomes among Elderly Women with Non-Metastatic Breast Cancer Using the SEER-Medicare Linked Dataset

Breast cancer (BC) is the 2nd most commonly diagnosed type of cancer in the United States (US) and the 1st among women, with 57% of incident cases in those age \u3e 60 years. Relative to other cancers, BC has high survival rates, with a 89% 5-year overall survival rate. High survival rates are due to improvements in disease understanding, treatment, and earlier stage at diagnosis from increased routine BC screening. Yet, disparities in treatment and survival outcomes persist. Epidemiologic studies suggest that elderly women experience disparities uniquely associated with increasing age and comorbidity, in addition to those associated with socio-demographic characteristics, access to oncology care resources, and clinical prognostic factors. This sequence of retrospective database studies sought to characterize and examine associations with initial loco-regional treatment for stage I and II BC, receipt of guideline-concordant care (GCC) and individual tests and treatments for stage I-III BC, and overall 5-year survival among using the first two study cohorts and a third, more broadly inclusive cohort of elderly women with stage I-III BC. Cohorts of women age ≥ 66 years diagnosed in 2003--2009 were selected from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare (SEER-Medicare) linked dataset. Regarding the 1st study, 55% of women had breast-conserving surgery (BCS) plus radiation therapy (RT), 23% has mastectomy, and 22% had BCS without RT as their initial loco-regional treatment. Compared to women who received BCS plus RT, those who were older, of greater comorbidity, later stage, or non-white race were more likely to have had mastectomy or BCS without RT. Women who were less likely to have had mastectomy or BCS without RT were those treated by an oncology surgeon or both an oncology and general surgeon vs. a general surgeon only, from areas of less education, lower income, or lived in metro areas. Regarding the 2nd study, only 34% received GCC, 61% had RT, and 25% had chemotherapy but, most women had their hormone receptor (HR) statuses and lymph nodes tested. Women who were older, of greater comorbidity, stage II vs. I, lymph node negative, or non-white race were less likely to receive GCC, while those who were HR negative or treated by an oncology surgeon or both an oncology and general surgeon, vs. a general surgeon only were more likely to receive GCC. Regarding the 3rd study, overall 5-year survival ranged from 82%-88% among the three cohorts. The risk of death was greater for women who were older, of greater comorbidity, diagnosed at a later stage, HR negative, treated by mastectomy, BCS without RT, did not received GCC, RT, or chemotherapy, but was lower for women treated by an oncology surgeon or both an oncology and general surgeon vs. a general surgeon only. Despite recommended treatment guidelines, increasing age and comorbidity are strongly associated with less aggressive BC among elderly women. Older women with BC should receive treatment according to guidelines as it would be otherwise given to younger women, health permitting. While the increased risk of death associated with increasing age is inevitable, targeting health behaviors to decrease comorbidity and continued routine BC screening for earlier stage at diagnosis may go a long way to improve survival

The Comparative Analysis of the Dyslexia Screening Instrument and the Dyslexia Screening Tool

STEEP is a universal screening instrument that provides effective and efficient identification of students at risk. It is hypothesized that by using the difference between the math STEEP score and the reading STEEP score that STEEP can be used to identify dyslexic children. The present research was conducted by selecting students that scored mastery/instructional in math and frustrational in reading as the sample. The current study examines the correlation between the Dyslexia Screening Instrument and the Dyslexia Screening Tool by administering those instruments to the identified population. The results were analyzed by using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) and the Kendall’s Tau correlation coefficient (r). The results indicated a positive and significant correlation between the Dyslexia Screening Instrument and the Dyslexia Screening Tool. Recommendations were made for future research

A National Study of Health Behaviors and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Survivors of Breast, Prostate, and Colorectal Cancer Compared to Propensity Score Matched Controls, as well as, Comparisons by Cancer Type & Gender

The objectives of this study were to 1) compare the prevalence of specific measures of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQOL) between breast, prostate, female, and male colorectal cancer survivors to propensity score matched controls, and to compare HRQOL by type of cancer and gender and 2) compare the prevalence of specific health conditions and health behaviors between breast, prostate, female, and male colorectal cancer survivors to propensity score matched controls, and to compare health behaviors by type of cancer and gender. A cross-sectional study was conducted using a sample of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer survivors 18 years of age and older and \u3e 1 year past diagnosis were selected from the 2009 BRFSS. A greedy algorithm and matching without replacement used propensity scores to match 3 controls to every 1 case on age, gender, race/ethnicity, income, insurance status, and region of the U.S. HRQOL measures compared were life satisfaction, perceived emotional support, activity limitations, perceived general, physical and mental health, and sleep quality. Health conditions compared were arthritis, asthma, heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol, stroke, activity limitations, and perceived general health. Health behaviors compared were flu immunization, physical check-up, cholesterol check, BMI, physical activity, fruit and vegetable consumption, smoking, and alcohol use. Chi-square tests were used to test for covariate balance and compared prevalence of health conditions and behaviors. Binomial and multinomial logistic regression models were used to estimate the probabilities of behaviors for cancer cases compared to controls. The final study sample consisted of 6,393 breast, 3,636 prostate, 1,111 female colorectal, and 824 male colorectal cancer survivors. Compared to matched controls, cancer survivors were up to 3.67 times more likely (95%CI: 2.09, 6.47) at 1 -- 5 years since diagnosis, and up to 1.91 times more likely (95%CI: 1.30, 2.79). Breast, female, and male colorectal cancer survivors were up to 2.62 times more likely (95%CI: 1.72, 3.99) to report activity limitations compared to matched controls. Additionally, colorectal cancer survivors were more likely to report worse physical health than their matched controls. Male colorectal and prostate cancer survivors were more likely to report worse mental health, and prostate cancer survivors were more likely to report a lack of emotional support and not enough sleep compared to their matched controls. Comparisons by cancer type found that male colorectal cancer survivors were more likely to report activity limitations and perceive their general and physical health to be worse than prostate cancer survivors. Gender comparisons found that females were more likely to hold poorer perceptions of their general, physical, and mental health, report not enough sleep, and not receiving enough emotional support, but more likely to be satisfied with life. Breast and prostate cancer survivors reported a greater prevalence of chronic health conditions than matched controls. Breast cancer survivors were more likely to engage in healthier behaviors 1 -- 5 years after diagnosis, but were more likely to be obese at \u3e 5 years after diagnosis than controls. Male colorectal cancer survivors were less likely to engage in clinical preventive care at \u3e 5 years after diagnosis than controls. Female colorectal and breast cancer survivors were less likely be overweight and/or obese, former and/or current smokers, drink any alcohol, and more likely to consume ≥ 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day, but more likely to engage in none or insufficient levels of physical activity compared to male colorectal and prostate cancer survivors, respectively. All cancer survivor groups reported more limitations and held poorer perceptions of their general health. Differences between matched controls for other HRQOL measure vary by type of cancer, although compared to similar males without cancer, male cancer survivors reported worse outcomes on measures such as mental health, sleep, and emotional support. However, when female survivors were compared to male survivors, females reported worse outcomes for all measures except life satisfaction. Breast and prostate cancer survivors have more chronic health conditions compared to matched controls than do female and male colorectal cancer survivors. Breast cancer survivors are more likely to engage in healthy behaviors than their matched controls. Female cancer survivors engage healthier lifestyle behaviors, with the exception of physical activity, compared to male cancer survivors. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)