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SAFETY OF TRANSRADIAL CARDIAC CATHETERIZATION IN PATIENTS WITH END-STAGE LIVER DISEASE

The current study adopted McAdams’ multilayer framework as the basis to develop a psychological portrait of an elite athlete who was identified as being particularly “mentally tough.” The aim was to use this single case as an exemplar to demonstrate the utility of McAdams’ framework for understanding the complexity of sport performers across three domains of personality: dispositional traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity. We operationalised these domains through the development of specific research questions and, subsequently, the collection and integration of the participant’s Big Five traits, personal strivings, coping strategies, and response to a life story interview. The results offered a comprehensive insight into the nature of one athlete’s personality that, in turn, informed conceptual perspectives of mental toughness in sport psychology literature and qualitatively supported emerging evidence of the validity of a three-layer framework in personality psychology. Specifically, the study’s design showed how a holistic approach to personality analysis can lead to a more complete psychological representation of competitors in sport, and people generally. It demonstrated how motivational, sociocultural, and meaning-making aspects of personality can complement a trait profile to achieving a satisfying assessment of the whole person

Atmospheric Channel Characteristics for Quantum Communication with Continuous Polarization Variables

We investigate the properties of an atmospheric channel for free space quantum communication with continuous polarization variables. In our prepare-and-measure setup, coherent polarization states are transmitted through an atmospheric quantum channel of 100m length on the roof of our institute's building. The signal states are measured by homodyne detection with the help of a local oscillator (LO) which propagates in the same spatial mode as the signal, orthogonally polarized to it. Thus the interference of signal and LO is excellent and atmospheric fluctuations are autocompensated. The LO also acts as spatial and spectral filter, which allows for unrestrained daylight operation. Important characteristics for our system are atmospheric channel influences that could cause polarization, intensity and position excess noise. Therefore we study these influences in detail. Our results indicate that the channel is suitable for our quantum communication system in most weather conditions.Comment: 6 pages, 4 figures, submitted to Applied Physics B following an invitation for the special issue "Selected Papers Presented at the 2009 Spring Meeting of the Quantum Optics and Photonics Section of the German Physical Society

A Two-Dimensional Model with Chiral Condensates and Cooper Pairs Having QCD-like Phase Structure

We describe how a generalization of the original Gross-Neveu model from U(N) to O(N) flavor symmetry leads to the appearance of a pairing condensate at high density, in agreement with the conjectured phenomenon of color superconductivity in $(3+1)$-dimensional QCD. Moreover, the model displays a rich phase structure which closely resembles the one expected in two-flavor QCD.Comment: 11 pages, 1 fugure, Presented at TMU-Yale Symposium on Dynamics of Gauge Fields: An External Activity of APCTP, Tokyo, Japan, 13-15 Dec 199

High School Exit Examinations: When Do Learning Effects Generalize?

This paper reviews international and domestic evidence on the effects of three types of high school exit exam systems: voluntary curriculum-based external exit exams, universal curriculum-based external exit exam systems and minimum competency tests that must be passed to receive a regular high school diploma. The nations and provinces that use Universal CBEEES (and typically teacher grades as well) to signal student achievement have significantly higher achievement levels and smaller differentials by family background than otherwise comparable jurisdictions that base high stakes decisions on voluntary college admissions tests and/or teacher grades. The introduction of Universal CBEEES in New York and North Carolina during the 1990s was associated with large increases in math achievement on NAEP tests. Research on MCTs and high school accountability tests is less conclusive because these systems are new and have only been implemented in one country. Cross-section studies using a comprehensive set of controls for family background have not found that students in MCT states score higher on audit tests like the NAEP that carry no stakes for the test taker. The analysis reported in table 1 tells us that the five states that introduced MCTs during the 1990s had significantly larger improvements on NAEP tests than states that made no change in their student accountability regime. The gains, however, are smaller than for the states introducing Universal CBEEES. New York and North Carolina. The most positive finding about MCTs is that students in MCT states earn significantly more during the first eight years after graduation than comparable students in other states suggesting that MCTs improve employer perceptions of the quality of the recent graduates of local high schools

Choosing how to choose : Institutional pressures affecting the adoption of personnel selection procedures

The gap between science and practice in personnel selection is an ongoing concern of human resource management. This paper takes Oliver´s framework of organizations´ strategic responses to institutional pressures as a basis for outlining the diverse economic and social demands that facilitate or inhibit the application of scientifically recommended selection procedures. Faced with a complex network of multiple requirements, practitioners make more diverse choices in response to any of these pressures than has previously been acknowledged in the scientific literature. Implications for the science-practitioner gap are discussed

Systemic perturbations of the kynurenine pathway precede progression to dementia independently of amyloid-β

Increasing evidence suggests that kynurenine pathway (KP) dyshomeostasis may promote disease progression in dementia. Studies in Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients confirm KP dyshomeostasis in plasma and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) which correlates with amyloid-β and tau pathology. Herein, we performed the first comprehensive study assessing baseline levels of KP metabolites in participants enrolling in the Australian Imaging Biomarkers Flagship Study of Aging. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that changes in KP metabolites may be biomarkers of dementia processes that are largely silent. We used a cross-sectional analytical approach to assess non-progressors (N = 73); cognitively normal (CN) or mild cognitive impairment (MCI) participants at baseline and throughout the study, and progressors (N = 166); CN or MCI at baseline but progressing to either MCI or AD during the study. Significant KP changes in progressors included increased 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid (3-HAA) and 3-hydroxyanthranilic acid/anthranilic acid (3-HAA/AA) ratio, the latter having the largest effect on the odds of an individual being a progressor (OR 35.3; 95% CI between 14 and 104). 3-HAA levels were hence surprisingly bi-phasic, high in progressors but low in non-progressors or participants who had already transitioned to MCI or dementia. This is a new, unexpected and interesting result, as most studies of the KP in neurodegenerative disease show reduced 3-HAA/AA ratio after diagnosis. The neuroprotective metabolite picolinic acid was also significantly decreased while the neurotoxic metabolite 3-hydroxykynurenine increased in progressors. These results were significant even after adjustment for confounders. Considering the magnitude of the OR to predict change in cognition, it is important that these findings are replicated in other populations. Independent validation of our findings may confirm the utility of 3-HAA/AA ratio to predict change in cognition leading to dementia in clinical settings

4pi Models of CMEs and ICMEs

Coronal mass ejections (CMEs), which dynamically connect the solar surface to the far reaches of interplanetary space, represent a major anifestation of solar activity. They are not only of principal interest but also play a pivotal role in the context of space weather predictions. The steady improvement of both numerical methods and computational resources during recent years has allowed for the creation of increasingly realistic models of interplanetary CMEs (ICMEs), which can now be compared to high-quality observational data from various space-bound missions. This review discusses existing models of CMEs, characterizing them by scientific aim and scope, CME initiation method, and physical effects included, thereby stressing the importance of fully 3-D ('4pi') spatial coverage.Comment: 14 pages plus references. Comments welcome. Accepted for publication in Solar Physics (SUN-360 topical issue

Does same session EUS-guided tissue acquisition and ERCP increase the risk of pancreatitis in patients with malignant distal biliary obstruction?

Background: Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) and endoscopic ultrasonography-guided tissue acquisition (EUS-TA) are increasingly performed in the same session in patients with malignant biliary obstruction. In this retrospective analysis, we investigated adverse events (AE) after same session ERCP and EUS-TA. Methods: Patients with malignant distal biliary obstruction who underwent EUS-TA and/or ERCP with self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement from January 2015 to April 2020 were included. Primary outcome was post-procedural pancreatitis (PPP). Secondary outcomes were other procedure-related AE. Results: We included 494 patients, of which 118 patients (24%) underwent same session EUS-TA+ERCP, 51 patients (10%) underwent separate session EUS-TA & ERCP, 90 patients (18%) ERCP-only and 235 patients (48%) EUS-TA only. PPP occurred in 22 patients (19%) after same session EUS-TA+ERCP and in 6 patients (12%) after separate EUS-TA & ERCP (p = 0.270). When adjusted for other known risk factors (i.e., difficult procedure), the difference in PPP remained non-significant (adjusted odds ratio 1.74 (95%-CI 0.65-4.67, p = 0.268). The incidence of other AE was similar, although the overall AE rate was significantly higher after same session EUS-TA+ERCP (36% vs. 20%, p = 0.030). Conclusion: Same session EUS-TA+ERCP did not significantly increase the incidence of PPP, although overall AE were significantly higher. These data warrant further prospective studies.Cellular mechanisms in basic and clinical gastroenterology and hepatolog