Brown and Reich Announce Worker-Management Commission

Includes Mission Statement and Committee Membership.Press_Release_DOL_032493.pdf: 131 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Fact Finding Report on the Future of Worker-Management Relations Released Today

Includes summary sheet and letter from the National Planning Association.Press_Release_DOL_060294.pdf: 316 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Architecture and the movies : two examples

Thesis (M. Arch.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Architecture, 1986.MICROFICHE COPY AVAILABLE IN ARCHIVES AND ROTCHIncludes bibliographical references (p. 125-131).This thesis is a speculative inquiry into the relationship between movies and architecture, both of which are forms of expression simultaneously particular to the artist who created them and general, illustrative of a larger cultural sensibility. Both reveal a cultural condition: its authorities, its emphases, its concerns: And yet, as forms of expression, they are very different architecture is tactile and spatial, it is the world constructed: movies are two dimensional depictions , they are "the world viewed." But in this, we see that a relationship between them may go beyond the parallels and distinctions of their existence in the culture. Movies are unique among forms of depiction in that, through the arrangement of images in sequence, they represent movement In this, they evoke our own experience in the world and suggest the dynamic complexity of man's relation to built form and space. This thesis will examine two American movies made twenty years apart, for their revelations of a cultural understanding of built form and space. This thesis also has a second intent derived from the first. If we can think of movies as a kind of mirror of popular understanding, can we also think of them as a model, as influencing that understanding?by Mary Elizabeth Meagher.M.Arch

An in Vitro Study of Biofield Energy Healing Based Herbomineral Formulation for Skin Protection

The current research work deals with the impact of the Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment (The Trivedi Effect®) based herbomineral test formulation and cell medium (DMEM) against various skin health parameters. The test formulation is the combination of minerals (zinc chloride, sodium selenate, and sodium molybdate), L-ascorbic acid, herbal (Centella asiatica) extract, and tetrahydrocurcumin (THC). The test formulation and DMEM media were divided into two equal parts, i.e. one part received the Biofield Energy Treatment by Eileen Mary Meagher and was labeled as the Biofield Treated (BT) samples, while other represented was defined as the untreated test (UT) samples. The MTT assay showed that the test formulation was found safe and nontoxic with greater than 75% cell viability. Cell proliferation assay using BrdU method showed an improved proliferation rate by 343.23%, 316.13%, and 512.75% in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation, BT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation, and BT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation groups, respectively at 17.5 µg/mL, compared with the untreated group. The collagen level was significantly increased by 15.70% and 13.52% at 2.5 and 0.625 µg/mL, respectively in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation compared with the untreated group. The level of elastin was increased by 47.0% and 64.1% at 2.5 and 1.25 µg/mL, respectively in the BT-DMEM + UT-Test formulation, group compared with the untreated group. Hyaluronic acid synthesis was increased by 4.37%, 41.47%, and 19.74% at 2.5, 1.25, and 0.625 µg/mL, respectively in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation group with respect to the untreated group. Melanin synthesis was significantly inhibited by 8.83%, 5.78%, and 12.68% at 0.0125, 0.0625, and 0.125 µg/mL, respectively in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation group compared with the untreated group. Anti-wrinkling effect showed an improved cell viability by 4.32% and 2.47% at 2.5 µg/mL in the UT-DMEM + BT-Test formulation and BT-DMEM + UT- Test formulation groups, respectively in HFF-1 cells compared with the untreated group. Wound healing activity using scratch assay exhibited improved a healing rate up to 6% in the HFF-1 and HaCaT cells lines in the Biofield Energy Treated Test formulation. In conclusion, results suggest that The Trivedi Effect®- Consciousness Energy Healing Treatment based test formulation and medium have the ability to improve the skin health and can be used as skincare products cosmetics for anti-ageing, anti-wrinkling action and for the treatment of many skin diseases such as Eczema, diaper rash, chickenpox, measles, warts, acne, hives, wrinkles, ringworm, Rosacea, psoriasis, seborrheic dermatitis, skin cancer, etc. Source: https://www.trivedieffect.com/science/an-in-vitro-study-of-biofield-energy-healing-based-herbomineral-formulation-for-skin-protectio

Use of the Delphi Method to Enhance Pharmacist Contraceptive Counseling Materials

Background: Many states have pharmacist contraceptive prescribing laws with several others in the process of enacting similar legislation. Little continuity or standardization exists across these programs, including development of counseling materials. Although the risk of unplanned pregnancy is greatest among adolescents and young adults, developed materials are not always sensitive to youth. Objective: To use a modified Delphi method to develop standardized youth-friendly counseling tools that are sensitive to pharmacy workflow during pharmacist contraceptive prescribing. Methods: A multidisciplinary expert panel of women's health pharmacists, community pharmacists, adolescent medicine pediatricians, obstetrician-gynecologists, and public health advocates was assembled and reviewed materials over 3 iterations. Comments were anonymized, summarized, and addressed with each iteration. A graphic designer assisted with visual representation of panel suggestions. Reviewer feedback was qualitatively analyzed for emergent themes. Results: The Delphi method produced 5 main themes of feedback integrated into the final materials including attention to work flow, visual appeal, digestible medical information, universal use of materials, and incorporating new evidence-based best practices. Final materials were scored at a Flesch-Kincaid grade of 5.1 for readability. Conclusions: The use of the Delphi method allowed for the efficient production of materials that are medically accurate, patient-centered, and reflect multiple disciplinary perspectives. Final materials were more robust and sensitive to the unique needs of youth

Adolescents’ Perceptions of Contraception Access through Pharmacies

Adolescent pregnancy is an important public health issue, and pharmacist prescribing has the potential to expand contraceptive access and decrease unintended pregnancy. However, little is known about acceptability and uptake of pharmacist prescribing among adolescents, particularly among youth in socially and politically conservative regions of the country. The study objective was to identify how young women in Indiana perceive pharmacist contraceptive prescribing. Participants were recruited from clinics and completed a simulated pharmacist contraception-prescribing encounter; a demographic and behavioral questionnaire; and an in-depth qualitative interview focused on adolescent perspectives on pharmacist prescribing. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis. Sixty young women aged 14–21 years (mean age 17.0 ± 1.7 years) completed in-depth interviews. The majority expressed interest in pharmacist contraceptive prescribing (n = 33, 55.9%). Three overarching themes were identified, focusing on accessibility; quality of care; and pharmacist knowledge and youth friendliness. Subthemes highlighted the need for improved confidential access; a desire for additional pharmacist training in contraception; and interactions with a pharmacist that can relate to the young person. Increased awareness of the perceptions of young people can inform state policies and pharmacy protocols. Pharmacists, because of their accessibility, are well poised and equipped to assist in this public health concern

153. AYA Subspecialty Patient and Parent Views on COVID-19 Vaccination

This article is made available for unrestricted research re-use and secondary analysis in any form or be any means with acknowledgement of the original source. These permissions are granted for the duration of the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic.Purpose: Adolescents/young adults (AYA) with hematologic and oncologic (heme-onc) conditions are important targets for vaccine outreach because they are at increased risk for complications from COVID-19. AYA patients may also need additional support, as they are transitioning from parent to independent vaccine decision-making. AYA with sickle cell disease (SCD) are of particular concern because a high proportion are African American and experience structural racism in addition to their illness. Our objective was to examine AYA and parent attitudes regarding the COVID-19 vaccine among heme-onc populations. Methods: As part of a larger IRB-approved study, we recruited vaccine decision-makers in pediatric SCD and oncology survivor clinics, including parents of adolescents under 18 years (n=35), AYA patients 18-21 years old (n=21), and parents of AYA patients 18-21 years old (n=14). After informed consent, participants completed a demographic survey and a semi-structured interview regarding their vaccine decision-making process. Example questions included “What do you see as the benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine?” and “What are your concerns about the COVID-19 vaccine?”. Saturation was reached. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Codes were developed from the literature and early interviews. Examples included “attitudes against vaccine,” “medical mistrust,” “hesitancy,” “vaccine side effects,” and “vaccine interactions with disease process.” Fisher exact statistical tests were performed to analyze quantitative data. Results: In SCD clinic, we recruited 31 index patients (mean age: 15.1±3.5 years; 30 African American and 1 Other or Mixed), yielding 11 AYA and 26 parent interviews. In survivor clinic, we recruited 26 index patients (mean age: 16.0±3.4 years; 20 White, 2 Hispanic or Latinx; 2 Other or Mixed, 1 African American, and 1 Asian), yielding 10 AYA and 23 parent interviews. Out of the total index patients, 8 had already received the vaccine, 13 were planning to receive it, 27 were considering it, and 9 had declined it. There was no clear relationship between patients’ diagnosis (SCD or cancer) and their vaccine decisions nor between the index patient’s age (under or over 18) and their vaccine decisions. A high proportion of participants saw benefits to vaccination, such as lowering personal risk, community benefits of preventing the spread of COVID-19, and a possible return to “normal.” However, many AYA and parent participants also had concerns toward the vaccine, including concerns about short-term side effects and the potential for unknown, long-term effects. Concerns were also voiced about how rapidly the vaccine was developed and misconceptions about the vaccine were common, namely the vaccine causing infertility or increasing one’s susceptibility to contracting COVID-19. Medical mistrust toward either the vaccine or providers was explicitly stated by several participants, the majority of whom were from minoritized groups. Conclusions: COVID-19 vaccines have the potential to protect medically and socially vulnerable AYA, however patient and parent concerns, misconceptions, and mistrust are still prevalent. These data provide insights into the design and implementation of vaccine counseling interviews for AYA subspecialty patients and families

Molecular and preclinical basis to inhibit PGE2 receptors EP2 and EP4 as a novel nonsteroidal therapy for endometriosis

Endometriosis is a debilitating, estrogen-dependent, progesterone-resistant, inflammatory gynecological disease of reproductive age women. Two major clinical symptoms of endometriosis are chronic intolerable pelvic pain and subfertility or infertility, which profoundly affect the quality of life in women. Current hormonal therapies to induce a hypoestrogenic state are unsuccessful because of undesirable side effects, reproductive health concerns, and failure to prevent recurrence of disease. There is a fundamental need to identify nonestrogen or nonsteroidal targets for the treatment of endometriosis. Peritoneal fluid concentrations of prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) are higher in women with endometriosis, and this increased PGE(2) plays important role in survival and growth of endometriosis lesions. The objective of the present study was to determine the effects of pharmacological inhibition of PGE(2) receptors, EP2 and EP4, on molecular and cellular aspects of the pathogenesis of endometriosis and associated clinical symptoms. Using human fluorescent endometriotic cell lines and chimeric mouse model as preclinical testing platform, our results, to our knowledge for the first time, indicate that selective inhibition of EP2/EP4: (i) decreases growth and survival of endometriosis lesions; (ii) decreases angiogenesis and innervation of endometriosis lesions; (iii) suppresses proinflammatory state of dorsal root ganglia neurons to decrease pelvic pain; (iv) decreases proinflammatory, estrogen-dominant, and progesterone-resistant molecular environment of the endometrium and endometriosis lesions; and (v) restores endometrial functional receptivity through multiple mechanisms. Our novel findings provide a molecular and preclinical basis to formulate long-term nonestrogen or nonsteroidal therapy for endometriosis

'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America

Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism

Ovarian cancer pathology characteristics as predictors of variant pathogenicity in BRCA1 and BRCA2

Background: The distribution of ovarian tumour characteristics differs between germline BRCA1 and BRCA2 pathogenic variant carriers and non-carriers. In this study, we assessed the utility of ovarian tumour characteristics as predictors of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity, for application using the American College of Medical Genetics and the Association for Molecular Pathology (ACMG/AMP) variant classification system. Methods: Data for 10,373 ovarian cancer cases, including carriers and non-carriers of BRCA1 or BRCA2 pathogenic variants, were collected from unpublished international cohorts and consortia and published studies. Likelihood ratios (LR) were calculated for the association of ovarian cancer histology and other characteristics, with BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity. Estimates were aligned to ACMG/AMP code strengths (supporting, moderate, strong). Results: No histological subtype provided informative ACMG/AMP evidence in favour of BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity. Evidence against variant pathogenicity was estimated for the mucinous and clear cell histologies (supporting) and borderline cases (moderate). Refined associations are provided according to tumour grade, invasion and age at diagnosis. Conclusions: We provide detailed estimates for predicting BRCA1 and BRCA2 variant pathogenicity based on ovarian tumour characteristics. This evidence can be combined with other variant information under the ACMG/AMP classification system, to improve classification and carrier clinical management.</p