Librarians' Attitudes and Perspectives Regarding Graphic Novels

Historically, graphic novels have held a precarious place in public library collections. In the past, public libraries were envisioned as institutions for education and moral improvement, and library materials were required to prove their quality; arguments have been made against genre fiction, and even against fiction in general. As public libraries have shifted their focus to become more driven by user demand, genre fiction and graphic novels have gained increasing amounts of respect and visibility within library settings. By means of qualitative interviews with local public librarians, this study seeks to examine how librarians view the role of graphic novels in libraries. The interviewed librarians have largely positive views on graphic novels, and believe that they can serve as an important motivator for reluctant readers

An EMG & Motion Analysis Study of the Elliptical Trainer

Background and Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe lower extremity muscle activity and joint range of motion while moving both forward and backward on an elliptical trainer at minimum and maximum inclines. Subjects Ten healthy subjects (7 female and 3 male) gave informed consent to voluntarily participate in this study. Methods A single group experimental design was used. A maximum contraction was performed for comparison measure and electromyographic (EMG) data was collected while the subjects performed the stride at the specified variables. Results The vastus lateralis was the most active of all the muscles throughout the entire experiment. The gluteus maxim us had, on average, the least amount of muscle activity. The biceps femoris was more active during forward stride than backward stride while the rectus femoris was more active during the backward stride. Conclusion and Discussion The results of this study are inconsistent with the manufacturer\u27s claims

The immune suppressive properties of damage associated molecular patterns in the setting of sterile traumatic injury

Associated with the development of hospital-acquired infections, major traumatic injury results in an immediate and persistent state of systemic immunosuppression, yet the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Detected in the circulation in the minutes, days and weeks following injury, damage associated molecular patterns (DAMPs) are a heterogeneous collection of proteins, lipids and DNA renowned for initiating the systemic inflammatory response syndrome. Suggesting additional immunomodulatory roles in the post-trauma immune response, data are emerging implicating DAMPs as potential mediators of post-trauma immune suppression. Discussing the results of in vitro, in vivo and ex vivo studies, the purpose of this review is to summarise the emerging immune tolerising properties of cytosolic, nuclear and mitochondrial-derived DAMPs. Direct inhibition of neutrophil antimicrobial activities, the induction of endotoxin tolerance in monocytes and macrophages, and the recruitment, activation and expansion of myeloid derived suppressor cells and regulatory T cells are examples of some of the immune suppressive properties assigned to DAMPs so far. Crucially, with studies identifying the molecular mechanisms by which DAMPs promote immune suppression, therapeutic strategies that prevent and/or reverse DAMP-induced immunosuppression have been proposed. Approaches currently under consideration include the use of synthetic polymers, or the delivery of plasma proteins, to scavenge circulating DAMPs, or to treat critically-injured patients with antagonists of DAMP receptors. However, as DAMPs share signalling pathways with pathogen associated molecular patterns, and pro-inflammatory responses are essential for tissue regeneration, these approaches need to be carefully considered in order to ensure that modulating DAMP levels and/or their interaction with immune cells does not negatively impact upon anti-microbial defence and the physiological responses of tissue repair and wound healing

Concert recording 2017-04-29

[Track 1]. When the children are asleep from Carousel / Richard Rogers & Oscar Hammerstein -- [Track 2]. Quartet from The secret garden / Lucy Simon -- [Track 3]. Agony from Into the woods / Stephen Sondheim -- [Track 4]. Stepsister\u27s lament from Cinderella / Rogers & Hammerstein -- [Track 5]. Only love from The scarlet pimpernel / Frank Wildhorn -- [Track 6]. Schroeder from You\u27re a good man Charlie Brown / Clark Gesner -- [Track 7]. Where in the world from The secret garden [Track 8]. How could I ever know from The secret garden / Lucy Simon -- [Track 9]. Who am I from Peter Pan / Leonard Bernstein -- [Track 10]. Some things are meant to be from Little Women / Jason Howland -- [Track 11]. With you from Ghost / Bruce Joel Rubin -- [Track 12]. When he sees me from Waitress [Track 13]. Never ever getting rid of me from Waitress / Sara Bareilles -- [Track 14]. Sepia life from Grateful / John Bucchino -- [Track 15]. Thank you for the music from Mamma mia / Benny Andersson & Björn Ulvaeus -- [Track 16]. Agony reprise from Into the woods / Stephen Sondheim -- [Track 17]. If I loved you from Carousel / Rodgers & Hammerstein

Individual variation in hunger, energy intake and ghrelin responses to acute exercise

Purpose This study aimed to characterize the immediate and extended effect of acute exercise on hunger, energy intake, and circulating acylated ghrelin concentrations using a large data set of homogenous experimental trials and to describe the variation in responses between individuals. Methods Data from 17 of our group's experimental crossover trials were aggregated yielding a total sample of 192 young, healthy males. In these studies, single bouts of moderate to high-intensity aerobic exercise (69% ± 5% V˙O2 peak; mean ± SD) were completed with detailed participant assessments occurring during and for several hours postexercise. Mean hunger ratings were determined during (n = 178) and after (n = 118) exercise from visual analog scales completed at 30-min intervals, whereas ad libitum energy intake was measured within the first hour after exercise (n = 60) and at multiple meals (n = 128) during the remainder of trials. Venous concentrations of acylated ghrelin were determined at strategic time points during (n = 118) and after (n = 89) exercise. Results At group level, exercise transiently suppressed hunger (P < 0.010, Cohen's d = 0.77) but did not affect energy intake. Acylated ghrelin was suppressed during exercise (P < 0.001, Cohen's d = 0.10) and remained significantly lower than control (no exercise) afterward (P < 0.024, Cohen's d = 0.61). Between participants, there were notable differences in responses; however, a large proportion of this spread lay within the boundaries of normal variation associated with biological and technical assessment error. Conclusion In young men, acute exercise suppresses hunger and circulating acylated ghrelin concentrations with notable diversity between individuals. Care must be taken to distinguish true interindividual variation from random differences within normal limits

Age-associated B cells predict impaired humoral immunity after COVID-19 vaccination in patients receiving immune checkpoint blockade

Age-associated B cells (ABC) accumulate with age and in individuals with different immunological disorders, including cancer patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade and those with inborn errors of immunity. Here, we investigate whether ABCs from different conditions are similar and how they impact the longitudinal level of the COVID-19 vaccine response. Single-cell RNA sequencing indicates that ABCs with distinct aetiologies have common transcriptional profiles and can be categorised according to their expression of immune genes, such as the autoimmune regulator (AIRE). Furthermore, higher baseline ABC frequency correlates with decreased levels of antigen-specific memory B cells and reduced neutralising capacity against SARS-CoV-2. ABCs express high levels of the inhibitory FcγRIIB receptor and are distinctive in their ability to bind immune complexes, which could contribute to diminish vaccine responses either directly, or indirectly via enhanced clearance of immune complexed-antigen. Expansion of ABCs may, therefore, serve as a biomarker identifying individuals at risk of suboptimal responses to vaccination

When People Die:Stories from Young People

When People Die: Stories from Young People is a comic that tells numerous stories about death and resilience from a group of young people. The comic helps readers gain different and better perspectives on grief and what grieving means for young people. These stories and scenarios have been written by a group of young people selected from Children’s Hospices Across Scotland (Robin House), HMYOI Polmont, and Richmond’s Hope, and put together by the team at the Dundee Comics Creative Space. This comic will help people such as school teachers, guidance counsellors and anyone who reads it to learn more about how it feels to be in the position of a grieving young person, and how to act in situations that may come up with a grieving child