Concert recording 2019-04-30

[Track 1]. La pastorella mia / Francesca Caccini -- [Track 2]. Per pietà bell\u27idol mio / Marianne Martines -- [Track 3]. From Sechs Lieder, opus 13. Ich stand in dunklen Träumen [Track 4]. Liebeszauber [Track 5]. Ich hab\u27 in Deinem Auge / Clara Schumann -- [Track 6]. From though love be a day. Thy fingers make early flowers [Track 7]. lily has a rose [Track 8]. maggie and millie and molly and may / Gwyneth Walker -- [Track 9]. From Opus 9. Sehnsucht [Track 10]. Verlust [Track 11]. Die Nonne / Fanny Mendelssohn Handel -- [Track 12]. Ihwau Pear Blossom Rain / Lee Won-ju -- [Track 13]. Cantique [Track 14]. La mer / Nadia Boulanger -- [Track 15]. Three Browning songs, opus 44. I sent my heart up to thee [Track 16]. Ah, love, but a day [Track 17]. The year\u27s at the spring / Amy Beach -- [Track 18]. Beyond all price from The scarlet letter / Lori Laitman

Ferric citrate is a safe and digestible source of iron in broilers and piglets

Background Iron (Fe) is traditionally supplemented in poultry and swine diets using inorganic forms (e.g. sulfates, oxides). However, research suggests that organic sources are more beneficial due to greater bioavailability. In this paper, we present results from four studies aimed at assessing ferric citrate (CI-FER™, Akeso Biomedical Inc., Burlington, MA, USA) as a safe and effective source of Fe for broilers and piglets. Methods A total of four studies were performed in Germany following standard farming practices for each species. One study in day-old broiler chicks and one study in weaned piglets were designed as target animal safety studies where animals were randomly allocated to one of three treatment groups: a negative control group, the proposed dose group and a multifold dose group. Broilers and pigs were fed the experimental diets for 35 and 42 days, respectively. In each study, average daily feed intake, average daily weight gain and feed conversion ratio were measured, and blood samples were taken at study end for routine biochemistry and haematology. The other two studies were designed to evaluate different sources of dietary Fe for weaned piglets bred and managed under standard farm conditions. All piglets received routine Fe injections (200 mg Fe dextran, intramuscular) on day 3 of age, as well as the experimental diets for 42 days. In both studies, performance parameters were measured. In one study, Fe digestibility and serum Fe, superoxide dismutase and haptoglobin were also measured. In all studies, the general health status of the animals was monitored daily and all culls and mortality recorded. Each study followed a complete randomised block design. Results In broilers, ferric citrate was well tolerated up to 2,000 mg/kg feed (×10 the recommended inclusion rate) and no adverse effects on growth, blood parameters or mortality were observed. In piglets, ferric citrate was well tolerated up to 5,000 mg/kg feed (×10 the recommended inclusion rate) with no adverse effects on growth, blood parameters or mortality. In addition, piglets fed ferric citrate performed significantly better than animals fed the negative control diet (containing only endogenous Fe) and those fed inorganic forms of Fe. Moreover, piglets fed ferric citrate demonstrated improved Fe digestibility and improved oxidative status. Altogether, these findings show that ferric citrate is a safe and easily digestible source of dietary Fe for broilers and piglets

Personality, Online Learning, and COVID-19

While characteristics of in-person learning versus online learning and the impact of personality on academic success have been studied, the nature of these variables in the context of a stressful event like the COVID-19 pandemic remains undetermined. This quantitative correlational survey analysis investigated 133 participants’ prior online learning experience and neuroticism levels, via the Big Five personality test, to examine relationships between those two variables and the variables of perceived learning, change in GPA, and perceived lost learning during COVID-19. Researchers found no significant correlations or effects between any of these variables. Researchers concluded that while the variables in question did not reveal any disadvantages towards specific students stemming from the pandemic, there might be other personality factors with effects or confounding variables that impacted students during the pandemic

An investigation of digoxin by cyclic voltammetry using gold and silver solid electrodes and chemometric analysis

Digoxin, one of the main cardiac glycosides medication, has shown to have a strong analytical response under investigation by voltammetric analysis using mercury electrodes, achieving nanomole sensitivity. In this study we investigated the suitability of solid electrodes as gold and silver electrodes in voltammetric analysis of this active pharmaceutical ingredient. The scope of the investigation was to evaluate if the use of these solid electrodes, more practical and especially less dangerous, under an operative and environmental aspects could represent a valid further possibility to add to the use of the mercury ones. Both of the solid electrodes have been tested at different pH of 5, 7.4, 10, and 11. PCA analysis has been performed and specific responses achieved. Micromole sensitivity has been achieved for both of the electrodes, showing that the use of these sensors could represent a preliminary analytical approach when the more accurate alternative choice is not necessary, being more practical and less environmental impacting than using mercury

Concert recording 2017-02-22

[Track 1]. Horn sonata in F major, Op. 17 Allegro / Ludwig van Beethoven -- [Track 2]. Mother Dear / Traditional -- [Track 3]. A Winter\u27s Night / Kevin McKee -- [Track 4]. Improvisations 1 / Ryo Noda

An Exploratory Analysis of Stress, Burnout, and Depression in the IECMH Workforce

A growing trend in the psychological literature has consistently found a strong association between stress, burnout, and depression, especially in populations who are exposed to a high amount of occupational stress. And, while the relationship between stress and burnout has been distinct and strong, the same cannot be said for burnout and depression. Historically, burnout and depression have shared such a strong conceptual relationship that the literature disagreed as to whether they were truly separate mechanisms. However, while the two constructs do present behavioral similarities the underlying mechanisms which direct their presentation are subtly different. Depression is defined as a diagnosable mood disorder, which is implicated from a number of biopsychosocial factors regardless of occupation characteristics, while burnout is defined as an occupational syndrome which presents in response to prolonged exposure stress within one’s vocation specifically. Understanding the relationship between stress, burnout, and depression is relevant for all professionals, but may be especially important to study in sectors interacting with vulnerable populations known to be at risk for burnout. The Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health (IECMH) workforce includes professionals who engage and serve children and families, many of whom have experienced trauma and/or have high psychosocial risk. This workforce may be particularly vulnerable to burnout in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, mental health symptoms (including depression) and stress rates have increased for many since the start of the pandemic. The current study aimed to explore perceived stress, burnout, and depression in a population of IECMH professionals, and to test whether depression symptoms act as a risk factor in the context of stress and burnout. The sample consists of 141 clinicians who work in the IECMH field (e.g., child welfare, home visiting, childcare), and who completed self-report measures of current stress, current burnout, and current depression in the summer of 2020. Bivariate correlation indicated significant and large relationships between both perceived stress and burnout (r = .70, p \u3c .001), and depression and burnout (r = .59, p \u3c .001). Given the high collinearity between our predictor (stress) and proposed moderator (depression, r = .80, p \u3c .001), testing for the moderating effect of depression on the link between stress and burnout was unjustified. These results led us to wonder if other factors might better serve as protective factors in the context of stress and burnout and thus we examined the moderating effect of self-compassion on buffering against the relationship between stress and burnout. To explore the possibility of self-compassion weakening this relationship between perceived stress and burnout, simple moderation analyses were conducted in SPSS using Hayes’ PROCESS 4.0 Macro. The overall model results were significant (F(3, 99) = 65.08, R2 = .66, p \u3c .001) and the interaction term was also significant (R2 change = .04, p = .001). Specifically, the relationship between stress (x) and burnout (y) remained significant across all levels of self-compassion, but the strength of the relationship between x and y was strongest when self-compassion was low and weakest when self-compassion was high

Global, regional, and national burden of hepatitis B, 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Combating viral hepatitis is part of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and WHO has put forth hepatitis B elimination targets in its Global Health Sector Strategy on Viral Hepatitis (WHO-GHSS) and Interim Guidance for Country Validation of Viral Hepatitis Elimination (WHO Interim Guidance). We estimated the global, regional, and national prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV), as well as mortality and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) due to HBV, as part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019. This included estimates for 194 WHO member states, for which we compared our estimates to WHO elimination targets. Methods The primary data sources were population-based serosurveys, claims and hospital discharges, cancer registries, vital registration systems, and published case series. We estimated chronic HBV infection and the burden of HBV-related diseases, defined as an aggregate of cirrhosis due to hepatitis B, liver cancer due to hepatitis B, and acute hepatitis B. We used DisMod-MR 2.1, a Bayesian mixed-effects meta-regression tool, to estimate the prevalence of chronic HBV infection, cirrhosis, and aetiological proportions of cirrhosis. We used mortality-to-incidence ratios modelled with spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression to estimate the incidence of liver cancer. We used the Cause of Death Ensemble modelling (CODEm) model, a tool that selects models and covariates on the basis of out-of-sample performance, to estimate mortality due to cirrhosis, liver cancer, and acute hepatitis B. Findings In 2019, the estimated global, all-age prevalence of chronic HBV infection was 4·1% (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 3·7 to 4·5), corresponding to 316 million (284 to 351) infected people. There was a 31·3% (29·0 to 33·9) decline in all-age prevalence between 1990 and 2019, with a more marked decline of 76·8% (76·2 to 77·5) in prevalence in children younger than 5 years. HBV-related diseases resulted in 555 000 global deaths (487 000 to 630 000) in 2019. The number of HBV-related deaths increased between 1990 and 2019 (by 5·9% [–5·6 to 19·2]) and between 2015 and 2019 (by 2·9% [–5·9 to 11·3]). By contrast, all-age and age-standardised death rates due to HBV-related diseases decreased during these periods. We compared estimates for 2019 in 194 WHO locations to WHO-GHSS 2020 targets, and found that four countries achieved a 10% reduction in deaths, 15 countries achieved a 30% reduction in new cases, and 147 countries achieved a 1% prevalence in children younger than 5 years. As of 2019, 68 of 194 countries had already achieved the 2030 target proposed in WHO Interim Guidance of an all-age HBV-related death rate of four per 100 000. Interpretation The prevalence of chronic HBV infection declined over time, particularly in children younger than 5 years, since the introduction of hepatitis B vaccination. HBV-related death rates also decreased, but HBV-related death counts increased as a result of population growth, ageing, and cohort effects. By 2019, many countries had met the interim seroprevalence target for children younger than 5 years, but few countries had met the WHO-GHSS interim targets for deaths and new cases. Progress according to all indicators must be accelerated to meet 2030 targets, and there are marked disparities in burden and progress across the world. HBV interventions, such as vaccination, testing, and treatment, must be strategically supported and scaled up to achieve elimination. Funding Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

COVID Aftermath: The Impact of the Pandemic on Florida\u27s Public School Students

The goal of this White Paper is to provide an overview of the current and future impacts the COVID-19 pandemic (“COVID”) has left on Florida’s public school education system. Additionally, this White Paper review shows how public education institutions are still working to address the loss of instructional time and long-term consequences due to pandemic-related school disruptions

A comparative study of WASP-67b and HAT-P-38b from WFC3 data

Atmospheric temperature and planetary gravity are thought to be the main parameters affecting cloud formation in giant exoplanet atmospheres. Recent attempts to understand cloud formation have explored wide regions of the equilibrium temperature-gravity parameter space. In this study, we instead compare the case of two giant planets with nearly identical equilibrium temperature ($T_\mathrm{eq}$ $\sim 1050 \, \mathrm{K}$) and gravity ($g \sim 10 \, \mathrm{m \, s}^{-1})$. During $HST$ Cycle 23, we collected WFC3/G141 observations of the two planets, WASP-67 b and HAT-P-38 b. HAT-P-38 b, with mass 0.42 M$_\mathrm{J}$ and radius 1.4 $R_\mathrm{J}$, exhibits a relatively clear atmosphere with a clear detection of water. We refine the orbital period of this planet with new observations, obtaining $P = 4.6403294 \pm 0.0000055 \, \mathrm{d}$. WASP-67 b, with mass 0.27 M$_\mathrm{J}$ and radius 0.83 $R_\mathrm{J}$, shows a more muted water absorption feature than that of HAT-P-38 b, indicating either a higher cloud deck in the atmosphere or a more metal-rich composition. The difference in the spectra supports the hypothesis that giant exoplanet atmospheres carry traces of their formation history. Future observations in the visible and mid-infrared are needed to probe the aerosol properties and constrain the evolutionary scenario of these planets.Comment: 16 pages, 17 figures, 8 tables, accepted for publication in The Astronomical Journa