Existence of God: Antithetical Themes in “Dr. Faustus” and “Waiting for Godot”

This paper is about the antithetical themes regarding the existence of God in two plays “Doctor Faustus” by Christopher Marlow and “Waiting for Godot” by Samuel Backett. Both the plays represent two different ages and religious orientations. The former is a tragedy of a doctor of philosophy who pledges his soul with the Devil for the sake of attaining the power of necromancy in a flagrant disregard to God’s commandments and is damned to hellfire whereas the latter is tragicomedy that projects meaninglessness of life through characters questioning the very significance of God’s existence. Hence it is presumed that heterogeneous themes running parallel to each other might arouse different emotions in the reader. In order to examine whether such opposing themes in two different dramas exist or not, textual excerpts were analyzed, literature was reviewed, critics views were collected, and opinion of the experts in teaching literature were gathered. Finally, it is concluded that both the plays do have themes which run into opposite directions regarding the existence of God leading to the arousal of unlike emotions

The Lantern, 2011-2012

• Frangipani • A Shadow • Dear Anne, In this Place, Stringbean Girls • Back to a Dandelion • How to Plant a Room • Swimming Pool Poem 30 • The Naming of Daughters • Berman Museum Photographs • Truth or Dare • The Song of Remembrance, L\u27vov, Poland, 1940 • Headlights • Prayer of Thanks • Numbers Game • Pediment • Home Sick • Lust • Sand Lining Instructions • A-A-Ask a Question • Flash Cards • Columbus Day • Mr. Yoest Gives His Report to the Police Officers on Wednesday Night • Gender Trouble • The Internet Connection at Ursinus College • Assuming You\u27ll Still be Here • 10/28/11, Third Poem • October • Actions that Affirm and Confirm Us as a Community • Why I Hate The Lantern • Confessions of an Ex-Vegetarian • Run • Lunch at Caltort • Schemers • You Will Make Beautiful Babies in America • The Black Dirt Region • Il Travatore • Ghost Story • Blue Eyes and Sunny Skies • A Little Sincerity • The Bookstore • The Opposite of Serendipity • The Human Doll • Evil Deeds • Francesca • Sunday Morning • Jersey Aesthetic • Jump! • Behind Reimert • Seaweed in New Zealand • Tombee de L\u27elegance • The Window • Esperando • Rainbow to the Heavens • Encased • In Springtime • A Fiesolan Monk\u27s Room • Inside a Bone • Neon Indian • Moments of Clarity • OneFeral: A Feral Self-Portrait • Cover Image: The Conquerorhttps://digitalcommons.ursinus.edu/lantern/1177/thumbnail.jp

Skunk River Review Fall 1995, Vol 7

https://openspace.dmacc.edu/skunkriver/1016/thumbnail.jp

Colorimetric sensing of anions in aqueous solution using a charge neutral, cleft-like, amidothiourea receptor: Tilting the balance between hydrogen bonding and deprotonation in anion recognition

The design, synthesis and physical evaluation of 1, a visible colorimetric `naked eye? pyridyl based bis-amidothiourea sensor for anions, is described. This charge neutral sensor gives rise to significant changes in the absorption spectra upon interactions with several important biological anions such as AMP and ADP in 4 : 1 DMSO?H2O solution, while ATP was not detected. These colorimetric changes are due to the formation, or the combination of hydrogen bonding complexes and/or deprotonation between these anions and 1

Patient and Provider Perspectives on Processes of Engagement in Outpatient Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: A Scoping Review

Effective treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) is available, but patient engagement is central to achieving care outcomes. We conducted a scoping review to describe patient and provider-reported strategies that may contribute to patient engagement in outpatient OUD care delivery. We searched PubMed and Scopus for articles reporting patient and/or provider experiences with outpatient OUD care delivery. Analysis included: (1) describing specific engagement strategies, (2) mapping strategies to patient-centered care domains, and (3) identifying themes that characterize the relationship between engagement and patient-centered care. Of 3,222 articles screened, 30 articles met inclusion criteria. Analysis identified 14 actionable strategies that facilitate patient engagement and map to all patient-centered care domains. Seven themes emerged that characterize interpersonal approaches to OUD care engagement. Interpersonal interactions between patients and providers play a pivotal role in encouraging engagement throughout OUD treatment. Future research is needed to further evaluate promising engagement strategies

Outcomes following posttransplant viral-specific T-cell therapy in patients with sickle cell disease

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is increasingly used as a curative approach for sickle cell disease (SCD). With the risk of graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), especially in the HLA-mismatched donors, intense immunosuppression is required leading to an increased risk of viral infection. Post-HSCT, adoptive transfer of virus-specific T cell (VSTs) therapies have not been well-studied in SCD patients. Here, we report the outcomes of patients with SCD at a single-center who received VSTs post-transplant to prevent or treat virus infections. Thirteen patients who received HSCT from HLA-matched (n=9) or mismatched (n=4) donors for SCD were treated with a total of 15 VST products for the treatment or prophylaxis of multiple viruses (cytomegalovirus, ebstein barr virus, adenovirus, BK virus, human herpes virus 6 +/- human parainfluenza virus 3). Of the patients evaluated, 46.2% (n=6)) received VSTs as treatment of virus infection. Eighty percent of patients with active viremia (n=4/5) achieved remission of at least 1 target virus. Seven additional patients (53.8%) received VSTs prophylactically and 6/7 (85.7%) remained virus-free post-infusion. No immediate infusion-related toxicities occurred, and severe de novo acute GVHD occurred in only 2 (15.4%) patients. Given the good safety profile, high-rate of clinical responses and sustained remissions when administered with standard anti-viral treatments, the routine use of VSTs post-HSCT as prophylaxis or treatment may improve the overall safety of transplant for patients with SCD

Bleach baths for atopic dermatitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis including unpublished data, Bayesian interpretation, and GRADE

BACKGROUND: Bleach bathing is frequently recommended to treat atopic dermatitis (AD), but its efficacy and safety are uncertain. OBJECTIVE: To systematically synthesize randomized controlled trials (RCTs) addressing bleach baths for AD. METHODS: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, and GREAT from inception to December 29, 2021, for RCTs assigning patients with AD to bleach vs no bleach baths. Paired reviewers independently and in duplicate screened records, extracted data, and assessed risk of bias (Cochrane version 2) and GRADE quality of evidence. We obtained unpublished data, harmonized individual patient data and did Frequentist and Bayesian random-effects meta-analyses. RESULTS: There were 10 RCTs that enrolled 307 participants (median of mean age 7.2 years, Eczema Area Severity Index baseline mean of means 27.57 [median SD, 10.74]) for a median of 6 weeks (range, 4-10). We confirmed that other trials registered globally were terminated. Bleach baths probably improve AD severity (22% vs 32% improved Eczema Area Severity Index by 50% [ratio of means 0.78, 95% credible interval 0.59-0.99]; moderate certainty) and may slightly reduce skin Staphylococcal aureus colonization (risk ratio, 0.89 [95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.09]; low certainty). Adverse events, mostly dry skin and irritation, along with itch, patient-reported disease severity, sleep quality, quality of life, and risk of AD flares were not clearly different between groups and of low to very low certainty. CONCLUSION: In patients with moderate-to-severe AD, bleach baths probably improve clinician-reported severity by a relative 22%. One in 10 will likely improve severity by 50%. Changes in other patient-important outcomes are uncertain. These findings support optimal eczema care and the need for additional large clinical trials. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO Identifier: CRD42021238486

Values and Preferences of Patients and Caregivers Regarding Treatment of Atopic Dermatitis (Eczema): A Systematic Review

IMPORTANCE: Patient values and preferences can inform atopic dermatitis (AD) care. Systematic summaries of evidence addressing patient values and preferences have not previously been available. OBJECTIVE: To inform American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology (AAAAI)/American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) Joint Task Force on Practice Parameters AD guideline development, patient and caregiver values and preferences in the management of AD were systematically synthesized. EVIDENCE REVIEW: Paired reviewers independently screened MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL databases from inception until March 20, 2022, for studies of patients with AD or their caregivers, eliciting values and preferences about treatment, rated risk of bias, and extracted data. Thematic and inductive content analysis to qualitatively synthesize the findings was used. Patients, caregivers, and clinical experts provided triangulation. The GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative Research) informed rating of the quality of evidence. FINDINGS: A total of 7780 studies were identified, of which 62 proved eligible (n = 19 442; median age across studies [range], 15 years [3-44]; 59% female participants). High certainty evidence showed that patients and caregivers preferred to start with nonmedical treatments and to step up therapy with increasing AD severity. Moderate certainty evidence showed that adverse effects from treatment were a substantial concern. Low certainty evidence showed that patients and caregivers preferred odorless treatments that are not visible and have a minimal effect on daily life. Patients valued treatments capable of relieving itching and burning skin and preferred to apply topical corticosteroids sparingly. Patients valued a strong patient-clinician relationship. Some studies presented varied perspectives and 18 were at high risk for industry sponsorship bias. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: In the first systematic review to address patient values and preferences in management of AD to our knowledge, 6 key themes that may inform optimal clinical care, practice guidelines, and future research have been identified

The BEST criteria improve sensitivity for detecting positive cultures in residual blood components cultured in suspected septic transfusion reactions

© 2019 AABB BACKGROUND: Culturing residual blood components after suspected septic transfusion reactions guides management of patients and cocomponents. Current practice, accuracy of provider vital sign assessment, and performance of the AABB culture criteria are unknown. A multicenter international study was undertaken to investigate these issues and develop improved culture criteria. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Retrospective data for all transfusion reactions resulting in residual blood component culture in 2016 were collected from participating hospitals. The performance of the AABB culture criteria were assessed for detection of positive culture results. Modifications to the AABB criteria including 1) recommending culturing in the setting of isolated high fevers, 2) defining hypotension and tachycardia using objective parameters, and 3) incorporating antipyretic use were tested to determine if modifications improved performance. Modifications associated with improvement were incorporate into the BEST criteria. The AABB and the BEST criteria were then tested against a data set enriched for positive culture results to determine which criteria were superior. RESULTS: Data were collected from 20 centers encompassing 779,143 transfusions, 3,187 reported transfusion reactions, and 1,104 cultured components. There was marked variation in reaction reporting and culturing rates (0.0%-100.0%). Of 35 total positive component cultures, only one of 35 (2.9%) had concordant patient cultures; 12 of 34 (35.3%) did not have patient cultures performed. The BEST criteria had better sensitivity for detection of a positive culture result compared to the AABB criteria (74% vs. 41%), although specificity decreased (45% vs. 65%). CONCLUSION: Compared to the AABB criteria, the BEST criteria have improved sensitivity for positive culture detection