Perceived Strengths and Weaknesses of American Churches: A Quadrant Analysis of Church-Based Ministries

The needs and expectations of both Christians and non-Christians concerning churches vary according to the cultural context. Similarly, a church’s ability to respond to these needs depends on its ability to fine-tune ministries so that they are appropriate to the cultural context. This study uncovers various elements of American church ministries (especially those that can be supported by technology) which church members consider important but which are poorly executed. A sample of 325 members of American churches indicated which ministries they considered most important and to what degree they believed that they were carried out well in their church. A quadrant analysis indicated that welcoming visitors, keeping parents informed of what their children are learning, and keeping parents informed of issues that arise during church activities were aspects of ministry generally rated as very important but poorly executed

Application of Polynomial Regression Model for Joint Stiffness

International Journal of Exercise Science 15(1): 1236-1245, 2022. Quasi-stiffness (joint stiffness) is often used to characterize leg properties during athletic and other activities and has been reported by a single slope of angle-moment curve. However, the joint angle-moment relationship of some relationship are not effectively represented by a simple linear regression model. Thus, the purpose of this analysis was to investigate the benefits of utilizing a 2nd order polynomial regression (quadratic) model as compared to the linear model when calculating lower extremity joint stiffness incorporating subdivided eccentric phases. Thirty healthy and active college students performed 15 drop jumps from a 30-cm platform. The eccentric phase was identified as the time from initial foot contact (IC) to the lowest vertical position of the center of mass and subdivided into the loading and attenuation phases, separated by the peak vertical ground reaction force. Lower extremity joint stiffnesses (hip, knee, and ankle) for the loading and attenuation phases were calculated using a linear and quadratic model. Multiple 2 by 2 repeated measures ANOVAs were performed. In the post-hoc analyses, the quadratic model had greater goodness-of-fit ( and RMSE) than the linear model (p \u3c .05) for all joints. The quadratic model revealed differences between the loading and attenuation phases for both hip (p = .001) and knee stiffness (p \u3c .001). These results suggest that the quadratic model is more representative of the angle-moment relationship while subdividing the eccentric phase of a drop jump into the loading and attenuation phases

The Coastal Convective Interactions Experiment (CCIE): understanding the role of sea breezes for hailstorm hotspots in Eastern Australia

The coastal convective interactions experiment (CCIE's) integration of climatological analysis with an intensive field campaign has provided an opportunity for revealing some of the complexities surrounding thunderstorm hotpots in complex physical settings like SEQ. For the CCIE climatological analysis, a continuous 18-yr (July 1997 to June 2015) volumetric reflectivity radar dataset was sourced from the 1.9° S-band weather radar located at Marburg, 50 km west of Brisbane. A cell-based analysis of this archive was performed using a MATLAB implementation of the identification, tracking, and selected analysis algorithms from the Weather Decision Support System-Integrated Information (WDSS-II). The 10-min interval of the Marburg radar volumes creates significant spatial discontinuities between MESH grids from an individual thunderstorm. A preliminary analysis indicates a strong relationship between the presence of the sea breeze and the Boonah hailstorm hotspot, but further analysis is needed to isolate the additional influence of synoptic and topographic drivers. Furthermore, fine-scale field observations of the sea-breeze?thunderstorm interaction events have begun to shed some light on the meteorology of thunderstorm hotspots in South East Queensland (SEQ)

Pfizer

Pfizer was established in 1849 in Brooklyn, New York by cousins Charles Pfizer and Charles Erhart with a loan of $2,500 from Pfizer’s father.2 Today, 167 years later, Pfizer Inc. has international revenues of$49 billion, which makes it the second-largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in the world.3 Despite Pfizer’s success, the company has faced many challenges over the last few decades. The pharmaceutical industry is heavily influenced by legal, political, and technological forces, and all indications are that the industry will continue to experience dramatic changes

A Radar-Based Hail Climatology of Australia

In Australia, hailstorms present considerable public safety and economic risks, where they are considered the most damaging natural hazard in terms of annual insured losses. Despite these impacts, the current climatological distribution of hailfall across the continent is still comparatively poorly understood. This study aims to supplement previous national hail climatologies, such as those based on environmental proxies or satellite radiometer data, with more direct radar-based hail observations. The heterogeneous and incomplete nature of the Australian radar network complicates this task and prompts the introduction of some novel methodological elements. We introduce an empirical correction technique to account for hail reflectivity biases at C-band, derived by comparing overlapping C- and S-band observations. Furthermore, we demonstrate how object-based hail swath analysis may be used to produce resolution-invariant hail frequencies, and describe an interpolation method used to create a spatially continuous hail climatology. The Maximum Estimated Size of Hail (MESH) parameter is then applied to a mixture of over fifty operational radars in the Australian radar archive, resulting in the first nationwide, radar-based hail climatology. The spatiotemporal distribution of hailstorms is examined, including their physical characteristics, seasonal and diurnal frequency, and regional variations of such properties across the continent.Comment: Revision 1 of manuscript submitted to Monthly Weather Revie

Reconstructing annual inflows to the headwater catchments of the Murray River, Australia, using the Pacific Decadal Oscillation

The Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) is a major forcing of inter-decadal to quasi-centennial variability of the hydroclimatology of the Pacific Basin. Its effects are most pronounced in the extra-tropical regions, while it modulates the El Nino Southern Oscillation (ENSO), the largest forcing of global inter-annual climate variability. PalaeoPDO indices are now available for at least the past 500 years. Here we show that the \u3e500 year PDO index of Shen et al. (2006) is highly correlated with inflows to the headwaters of Australia\u27s longest river system, the Murray-Darling. We then use the PDO to reconstruct annual inflows to the Murray River back to A.D. 1474. These show penta-decadal and quasi-centennial cycles of low inflows and a possible 500 year cycle of much greater inflow variability. Superimposed on this is the likely influence of recent anthropogenic global warming. We believe this may explain the exceptionally low inflows of the past decade, the lowest of the previous 529 years

The Effects of Spatial Interpolation on a Novel, Dual-Doppler 3D Wind Retrieval Technique

Three-dimensional wind retrievals from ground-based Doppler radars have played an important role in meteorological research and nowcasting over the past four decades. However, in recent years, the proliferation of open-source software and increased demands from applications such as convective parameterizations in numerical weather prediction models has led to a renewed interest in these analyses. In this study, we analyze how a major, yet often-overlooked, error source effects the quality of retrieved 3D wind fields. Namely, we investigate the effects of spatial interpolation, and show how the common practice of pre-gridding radial velocity data can degrade the accuracy of the results. Alternatively, we show that assimilating radar data directly at their observation locations improves the retrieval of important dynamic features such as the rear flank downdraft and mesocyclone within a simulated supercell, while also reducing errors in vertical vorticity, horizontal divergence, and all three velocity components.Comment: Revised version submitted to JTECH. Includes new section with a real data cas

Estimating survival of precocial chicks during the prefledging period using a catch-curve analysis and count-based age-class data

ABSTRACT: Estimating reproductive success for birds with pre-cocial young can be difficult because chicks leave nests soon after hatching and individuals or broods can be difficult to track. Researchers often turn to estimating survival during the pre-fledging period and, though effective, mark-recapture based approaches are not always feasible due to cost, time, and animal welfare concerns. Using a threatened population of Piping Plovers (Charadrius melodus) that breeds along the Missouri River, we present an approach for estimating chick survival during the pre-fledging period using long-term (1993–2005), count-based, age-class data. We used a modified catch-curve analysis, and data collected during three 5-day sampling periods near the middle of the breeding season. The approach has several ecological and statistical assumptions and our analyses were designed to minimize the probability of violating those assumptions. For example, limiting the sampling periods to only 5 days gave reasonable assurance that population size was stable during the sampling period. Annual daily survival estimates ranged from 0.825 (SD = 0.03) to 0.931 (0.02) depending on year and sampling period, with these estimates assuming constant survival during the pre-fledging period and no change in the age structure of the population. The average probability of survival to fledging ranged from 0.126 to 0.188. Our results are similar to other published estimates for this species in similar habitats. This method of estimating chick survival may be useful for a variety of pre-cocial bird species when mark-recapture methods are not feasible and only count-based age class data are available. RESUMEN. La estimaci´on de la supervivencia de polluelos precociales durante el periodo pre-volant´on usando un an´alisis de curva de captura y datos con clases de edades basados en conteos Estimar el ´exito reproductivo de aves con polluelos precociales puede ser dif´ıcil debido a que los polluelos dejan el nido poco despu´es de eclosionar y los individuos o nidadas pueden ser dif´ıciles de seguir. Los investigadores a menudo estiman la supervivencia durante el periodo pre-volant´on y aunque son efectivos, los m´etodos de marcaje y recaptura no son siempre factibles por razones del costo, tiempo y bienestar del animal. Usando una poblaci´on amenazada de Charadrius melodus que se reproduce sobre el R´ıo Missouri, presentamos un m´etodo para estimar la supervivencia de polluelos durante el periodo pre-volant´on usando datos de largo plazo (1993–2005) con clases de edades, basados en conteos. Utilizamos un an´alisis de curva de captura modificada y datos colectados durante tres periodos de muestreo de cinco d´ıas cada uno, cerca del medio de la ´epoca reproductiva. Este m´etodo tiene algunos supuestos ecol´ogicos y estad´ısticos y nuestros an´alisis fueron dise˜nados para minimizar la probabilidad de violar dichos supuestos. Por ejemplo, limitando los periodos de muestreo a solo cinco d´ıas dio el resultado razonable de que el tama˜no de la poblaci´on fue estable durante el periodo de muestreo. Las estimaciones de la supervivencia diaria anual variaron entre 0.825 (DE = 0.03) y 0.931 (0.02), dependiendo del a˜no y periodo de muestreo. Estas estimaciones dependieron de la suposici´on de una supervivencia constante durante el periodo pre-volant´on y de ning´un cambio en la estructura de la edad de la poblaci´on. El promedio de la probabilidad de supervivencia en la etapa pre-volant´on vari´o desde 0.126 hasta 0.188. Nuestros resultados son similares a otras estimaciones publicadas para esta especie en h´abitats similares. Este m´etodo de estimar la supervivencia de los polluelos podr´ıa ser ´util para una variedad de especies de aves precociales cuando los m´etodos de marcaje y recaptura no son factibles y cuando solo est´an disponibles datos con clases de edades basados en conteos

Clinical care of pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19: Living recommendations from the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce

To date, 18 living recommendations for the clinical care of pregnant and postpartum women with COVID-19 have been issued by the National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce. This includes recommendations on mode of birth, delayed umbilical cord clamping, skin-to-skin contact, breastfeeding, rooming-in, antenatal corticosteroids, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, disease-modifying treatments (including dexamethasone, remdesivir and hydroxychloroquine), venous thromboembolism prophylaxis and advanced respiratory support interventions (prone positioning and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation). Through continuous evidence surveillance, these living recommendations are updated in near real-time to ensure clinicians in Australia have reliable, evidence-based guidelines for clinical decision-making. Please visit https://covid19evidence.net.au/ for the latest recommendation updates

Contemporary Homozygous Familial Hypercholesterolemia in the United States: Insights From the CASCADE FH Registry

Erratum in: J Am Heart Assoc. 2023 Jun 6;12(11):e027706. doi: 10.1161/JAHA.122.027706. Epub 2023 Jun 1.Free PMC article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10227232/Background: Homozygous familial hypercholesterolemia (HoFH) is a rare, treatment-resistant disorder characterized by earlyonset atherosclerotic and aortic valvular cardiovascular disease if left untreated. Contemporary information on HoFH in the United States is lacking, and the extent of underdiagnosis and undertreatment is uncertain. Methods and Results: Data were analyzed from 67 children and adults with clinically diagnosed HoFH from the CASCADE (Cascade Screening for Awareness and Detection) FH Registry. Genetic diagnosis was confirmed in 43 patients. We used the clinical characteristics of genetically confirmed patients with HoFH to query the Family Heart Database, a US anonymized payer health database, to estimate the number of patients with similar lipid profiles in a “real-world” setting. Untreated lowdensity lipoprotein cholesterol levels were lower in adults than children (533 versus 776mg/dL; P=0.001). At enrollment, atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and supravalvular and aortic valve stenosis were present in 78.4% and 43.8% and 25.5% and 18.8% of adults and children, respectively. At most recent follow-up, despite multiple lipid-lowering treatment, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals were achieved in only a minority of adults and children. Query of the Family Heart Database identified 277 individuals with profiles similar to patients with genetically confirmed HoFH. Advanced lipid-lowering treatments were prescribed for 18%; 40% were on no lipid-lowering treatment; atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease was reported in 20%; familial hypercholesterolemia diagnosis was uncommon. Conclusions: Only patients with the most severe HoFH phenotypes are diagnosed early. HoFH remains challenging to treat. Results from the Family Heart Database indicate HoFH is systemically underdiagnosed and undertreated. Earlier screening, aggressive lipid-lowering treatments, and guideline implementation are required to reduce disease burden in HoFH.Dr Martin is supported by grants/contracts from the American Heart Association (20SFRN35380046, 20SFRN35490003, 878924, and 882415), Patient‐Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) (ME‐2019C1‐15328), National Institutes of Health (NIH) (R01AG071032 and P01 HL108800), the David and June Trone Family Foundation, Pollin Digital Health Innovation Fund, and Sandra and Larry Small; Dr Knowles is supported by the NIH through grants P30 DK116074 (to the Stanford Diabetes Research Center), R01 DK116750, R01 DK120565, and R01 DK106236; and by a grant from the Bilateral Science Foundation. Dr Linton is supported by NIH grants P01HL116263, HL148137, HL159487, and HL146134.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio