Trends in Whites\u27 Perceived Black-White Residential Integration, 1972-2008

Trends and patterns in black-white residential segregation or integration in the United States have been studied extensively at an aggregate level (e.g., census tract or block-group) using census and survey data. This study examines trends in whites\u27 perceived black-white residential integration using individual-level data from the 1972-2008 General Social Surveys. Our bivariate and logistic regression analyses show that, at the national level, the rate and likelihood of whites’ self-reports of sharing the same residential neighborhood with blacks had continuously increased from 1972 to 2008. Our regional analyses further confirm that the rates of whites’ self-reports of living with blacks in the same residential neighborhood had risen in the same period uniformly across regions with the South making the greatest strides and that, controlling for other variables, the likelihood of whites\u27 perceived black-white residential integration had increased dramatically in the South since the late 1980s and relatively slowly in other regions. We also identify the profile of whites who are more or less likely to report living with blacks in the same neighborhood. The implications of the findings are addressed

Effect Of Combination Of Kegel's Exercise And Bladder Training In Reducing Urine Inncontinency Episodes In Elderly In Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta

The aging process is defined by the change in the behavior of organisms according to age, which typically results in a decrease in the ability to survive and take care of themselves. This deterioration can, in humans, be influenced by biological, psychological, social, functional and spiritual factors. Urinary incontinence is a condition that typically affects the elderly, and has a huge impact on the daily lives of sufferers. This study considers the effect of a combination of Kegel’s exercises and bladder training in decreasing episodes of urinary incontinence in the elderly. This study uses a Quasi-experimental design with a Pretest-Posttest with Control Group design. The results demonstrate that there are significant differences in the average frequency of urination, hold time and frequency of urinary incontinence between the first and second measurements in the treatment group (each value p=0.0001). The combination of Kegel’s exercise and bladder training is proven to decrease the episode of urinary incontinence in the elderly.   Keywords: Kegel’s Exercise, Bladder Training, Urine Inncontinenc

The “Becoming White Thesis” Revisited

The claim that some non-Anglo-Saxon European immigrant groups such as the Irish, Italians, and Jews became white in historical America has largely been taken for granted these days, but we see a need for a qualified rectification of this thesis. Did these non-Anglo-Saxon European immigrant groups really become white? We argue that the answer to this question depends on how “becoming white” is defined. We have found no evidence to support the “becoming white thesis” in terms of change in the official racial classification of these groups in the record of social institutions such as U.S. censuses, naturalization laws, and court cases. Changes in the meaning of race in U.S. racial and ethnic lexicon explain why there is a discourse on how these non-Anglo-Saxon European groups changed their “races” to white. If “becoming white” did happen to these groups, its real meaning was a change in their social status from a minority group to part of the majority group rather than in racial classification. Evidence lends credence to this argument. Our findings help settle a debate about if some non-Anglo-Saxon European immigrant groups became white and have implications for race relations today and its pedagogy

The effect of Pursed Lips Breathing Exercises on the Oxygen Saturation Levels of Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease in Persahabatan Hospital, Jakarta

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can face increased resistance of airflow, air trapping, and lung hyperinflation. This condition can also cause decreased lung ventilation functions. Using a pursed lips breathing exercise can strengthen respiratory muscles that can improve oxygen saturation by maintaining airflow to bronchus and its branches and alveolus which then can prevent collapse in bronchiolus. The purpose of the study was to identify the effect of pursed lips breathing exercises on the oxygen saturation levels in patients with chronic obstructive lung disease in Persahabatan hospital, Jakarta. The design was quasi experimental, with a control group pre-post test design. A random sampling technique was used in the study. The exercise was provided to the intervention group for six days. The findings showed that the lung ventilation function is significantly different between preand post-intervention for both groups (p=0.00). Further, the average lung ventilation function in the intervention group is significantly different from that of the control group after intervention (p=0.012). In addition, while there is a significant relationship between subject age and the increase of the lung ventilation score (p=0.001), there was no relationship between height and the increase of oxygen saturation (p=0.091) and no significant relationship between sex and the increase of oxygen saturation (p=0.346). Based on these findings, the pursed lips breathing exercise is recommended to patients with chronic obstructive lung disease in order to improve the level of oxygen saturation.   Keywords: Oxygen saturation, Pursed lips breathing exercise, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extracts of Asparagus officinalis cv. Mary Washington: Comparison of in vivo and in vitro grown plant bioactivities

The antioxidant and antibacterial activities of ethanolic extracts of in vivo grown Asparagus officinalis cv. Mary Washington were investigated using superoxide dismutase, erythrocyte haemolysis and 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazil free radical scavenging methods. The measured antioxidant and antimicrobial potential were then compared to the activities offered by the ethanolic extracts of in vitro grown A. officinalis as well as ethanolic extract of undifferentiated callus cells of A. officinalis produced on Murashige and Skoog medium containing 1.5 mg/l 6-benzylaminopurine combined with 0.5 mg/l naphthalene acetic acid. The highest antioxidant capacity was obtained from the in vivo grown plant extract followed by in vitro grown plant extract in all three examined assays. Although, no antibacterial activity was detected from both in vivo and in vitro grown plant extracts in the disc diffusion antimicrobial assay, ethanolic extract of A. officinalis offered antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus.Key words: Antibacterial activity, antioxidant activity, Asparagus officinalis

Cloning, expression and characterization of the endoglucanase gene from Bacillus subtilis UMC7 isolated from the gut of the indigenous termite Macrotermes malaccensis in Escherichia coli

AbstractBackgroundBacillus subtilis UMC7 isolated from the gut of termite Macrotermes malaccensis has the ability to secrete a significant amount of extracellular endoglucanase, with an enzyme activity of 0.12±0.01μmol/min/mL. However, for economically viable industrial applications, the enzyme needs to be expressed in a heterologous host to overcome the low enzyme production from the wild-type strain.ResultsThe endoglucanase gene from B. subtilis UMC7 was successfully cloned and expressed. A higher enzyme activity was observed in the intracellular fraction of the recombinant clone (0.51±0.02μmol/min/mL) compared with the cell-bound fraction (0.37±0.02μmol/min/mL) and the extracellular fraction (0.33±0.01μmol/min/mL). The recombinant endoglucanase was approximately 56kDa, with optimal enzyme activity at 60°C and pH6.0. The activity of the enzyme was enhanced by the addition of Ca2+. However, the enzyme was inhibited by other metal ions in the following order: Fe3+>Ni2+>Cu2+>Mn2+=Zn2+>Mg2+>Cd2+>Cr2+. The enzyme was able to hydrolyze both low- and high-viscosity carboxymethyl-cellulose (CMC), avicel, cotton linter, filter paper and avicel but not starch, xylan, chitin, pectin and p-nitrophenyl α-d-glucopyranoside.ConclusionsThe recombinant endoglucanase showed a threefold increase in extracellular enzyme activity compared with the wild-type strain. This result revealed the potential of endoglucanase expression in E. coli, which can be induced for the overexpression of the enzyme. The enzyme has a broad range of activity with high specificity toward cellulose

An Analysis of Patient Characteristics and Clinical Outcomes in Primary Pulmonary Sarcoma

INTRODUCTION: Literature concerning primary pulmonary sarcomas (PPS) is limited to small case series. This study examines, in a large cohort, the clinical characteristics and therapeutic strategies of PPS and their impact on overall survival (OS). METHODS: This was a retrospective analysis from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database (1988-2008). Eligible patients had primary PPS and underwent local therapy. Survival estimates were obtained using the Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox regression model. OS of PPS patients were compared with a cohort of 10,909 patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. RESULTS: The cohort included 365 PPS patients with a median follow-up of 21 months. Fifty-five percent of the patients had large tumors (>5 cm), 76% were high-grade, and 16% had node-positive disease. Seventy-five percent of the cohort underwent surgery alone, 14% underwent surgery and radiation therapy, and 11% underwent radiation therapy alone. Multivariate analysis showed reduced OS for patients with tumors more than 5 cm (hazard ratio [HR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.25-2.19), high tumor grade (HR 3.1, 95% CI 1.26-3.62), and unresectable disease (HR 2.6, 95% CI 1.76-3.88. The 5-year OS for the cohort of pulmonary sarcomas versus sarcomas of the extremities was 35% versus 71% (p < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: This large study examining PPS patients reveals a high rate of nodal involvement and a markedly worse OS than patients with extremity soft-tissue sarcomas. Thus, given the poor overall prognosis, it is recommended that PPS patients undergo a thorough mediastinal nodal evaluation to rule out locoregional metastasis and proceed with aggressive treatment

Developing estimates for the valuation of air pollution removal in ecosystem accounts. Final report for Office of National Statistics

Brief summary: This report develops a natural capital account for air pollution removal by vegetation in the UK, over four time periods: 2007, 2011, 2015 and 203

Correction to: Two years later: Is the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still having an impact on emergency surgery? An international cross-sectional survey among WSES members

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic is still ongoing and a major challenge for health care services worldwide. In the first WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey, a strong negative impact on emergency surgery (ES) had been described already early in the pandemic situation. However, the knowledge is limited about current effects of the pandemic on patient flow through emergency rooms, daily routine and decision making in ES as well as their changes over time during the last two pandemic years. This second WSES COVID-19 emergency surgery survey investigates the impact of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on ES during the course of the pandemic. Methods: A web survey had been distributed to medical specialists in ES during a four-week period from January 2022, investigating the impact of the pandemic on patients and septic diseases both requiring ES, structural problems due to the pandemic and time-to-intervention in ES routine. Results: 367 collaborators from 59 countries responded to the survey. The majority indicated that the pandemic still significantly impacts on treatment and outcome of surgical emergency patients (83.1% and 78.5%, respectively). As reasons, the collaborators reported decreased case load in ES (44.7%), but patients presenting with more prolonged and severe diseases, especially concerning perforated appendicitis (62.1%) and diverticulitis (57.5%). Otherwise, approximately 50% of the participants still observe a delay in time-to-intervention in ES compared with the situation before the pandemic. Relevant causes leading to enlarged time-to-intervention in ES during the pandemic are persistent problems with in-hospital logistics, lacks in medical staff as well as operating room and intensive care capacities during the pandemic. This leads not only to the need for triage or transferring of ES patients to other hospitals, reported by 64.0% and 48.8% of the collaborators, respectively, but also to paradigm shifts in treatment modalities to non-operative approaches reported by 67.3% of the participants, especially in uncomplicated appendicitis, cholecystitis and multiple-recurrent diverticulitis. Conclusions: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic still significantly impacts on care and outcome of patients in ES. Well-known problems with in-hospital logistics are not sufficiently resolved by now; however, medical staff shortages and reduced capacities have been dramatically aggravated over last two pandemic years

Procalcitonin Is Not a Reliable Biomarker of Bacterial Coinfection in People With Coronavirus Disease 2019 Undergoing Microbiological Investigation at the Time of Hospital Admission

Abstract Admission procalcitonin measurements and microbiology results were available for 1040 hospitalized adults with coronavirus disease 2019 (from 48 902 included in the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infections Consortium World Health Organization Clinical Characterisation Protocol UK study). Although procalcitonin was higher in bacterial coinfection, this was neither clinically significant (median [IQR], 0.33 [0.11–1.70] ng/mL vs 0.24 [0.10–0.90] ng/mL) nor diagnostically useful (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.56 [95% confidence interval, .51–.60]).</jats:p