Psychiatrists' Illustration of Awe in Empathic Listening Assessments: A Pilot Study.

Background "Awe" is typically an inspiring emotional response to perceptually vast stimuli signifying the transcendence beyond all cognitive frames of reference when we encounter the unexpected. Physicians' experience of awe in clinical care interactions has not been studied in an empirical, evidence-based way. We aim to present a focused study of awe in a psychiatrist's empathic listening (EL) assessments and propose an evidence-based framework to study it.

CO-laser-ablation-assisted fabrication of signal-pump combiners with chirally coupled core fibers for co- and counter-pumped all-fiber amplifiers.

We report on the development of a side-fused signal-pump combiner with an integrated feed-through 34/250-µm chirally coupled core fiber. The manufacturing process involves a novel rotationally symmetrical cladding restructuring using a CO-laser beam. The signal-pump combiner exhibits the pump-to-signal fiber coupling efficiency of 90%, signal-to-pump isolation of 30 dB, and is high-power tested at a pump input power of >500 W.

Prevalence of gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, autonomic and allergic manifestations in hospitalized patients with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome: a case-control study.

Objective: Previous observations suggest an association between Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) and gastrointestinal (GI), cardiovascular, immune, and autonomic nervous system dysfunction. We sought to determine whether a hospital diagnosis of EDS is associated with a higher prevalence of these manifestations vs hospitalized patients without EDS. We also evaluated hospital outcomes.

High-intensity exercise improves pulmonary function and exercise tolerance in a patient with TSC-LAM.

Introduction: While exercise has been shown to improve respiratory symptoms, exercise tolerance, and bone mineral density in many populations, no supervised exercise training interventions have been undertaken in patients with lymphangioleiomyo-matosis (LAM).

Material And Methods: One patient with TSC-LAM (tuberous sclerosis complex lymphangioleiomyomatosis) participated in two weekly sessions (50-60 min) of supervised aerobic exercise at 80-85% heart rate max for one year. Treadmill ergometry (VO2peak), spirometry (FEV1, FVC, FEV1/FVC, peak flow), and bone mineral density testing were performed prior to every 3 months.

Single-frequency chirally coupled-core all-fiber amplifier with 100 W in a linearly polarized TEM mode.

Large mode area fibers have become indispensable in addressing the power requirements of laser sources in gravitational wave detectors. Besides high power capabilities, the system must provide an excellent beam quality and polarization. In this Letter, we present the characterization of a monolithic high-power fiber amplifier at 1064 nm, built using an ytterbium-doped chirally coupled-core fiber, which achieves an output power of 100 W in a linearly polarized $ {{\rm TEM}_{00}} $TEM mode in an all-fiber setup.

Limits of Femtosecond Fiber Amplification by Parabolic Pre-Shaping.

We explore parabolic pre-shaping as a means of generating and amplifying ultrashort pulses. We develop a theoretical framework for modeling the technique and use its conclusions to design a femtosecond fiber amplifier. Starting from 9 ps pulses, we obtain 4.

A single bout of dynamic exercise by healthy adults enhances the generation of monocyte-derived-dendritic cells.

The ex vivo generation of monocyte-derived-dendritic cells (mo-DCs) has facilitated the use of DCs in immunotherapy research. However, low blood monocyte numbers frequently limit the manufacture of sufficient numbers of mo-DCs for subsequent experimental and clinical procedures. Because exercise mobilizes monocytes to the blood, we tested if acute dynamic exercise by healthy adults would augment the generation of mo-DCs without compromising their differentiation or function.

β2-Adrenoceptor agonists are required for development of the asthma phenotype in a murine model.

β(2)-Adrenoceptor (β2AR) agonists are the most effective class of bronchodilators and a mainstay of asthma management. The first potent β2AR agonist discovered and widely used in reversing the airway constriction associated with asthma exacerbation was the endogenous activator of the β2AR, epinephrine. In this study, we demonstrate that activation of the β2AR by epinephrine is paradoxically required for development of the asthma phenotype.

Acute aerobic exercise in humans increases cytokine expression in CD27(-) but not CD27(+) CD8(+) T-cells.

Exercise alters the percentage of CD8(+) T-cells in the bloodstream expressing type I and type II cytokines. It is unknown if this reflects a change in cytokine expression within individual cells, or whether these observations result from the exercise-induced shift in the proportions of early/intermediate (CD27(+)) and late (CD27(-)) differentiated cells, which have vastly different cytokine profiles. 16 males cycled for 60 min at 95% maximal steady state.

Relationship between systemic inflammation and delayed-type hypersensitivity response to Candida antigen in older adults.

Research has shown that aging is associated with increased systemic inflammation as well as a reduction in the strength of immune responses. However, little evidence exists linking the decrease in cell-mediated immunity in older adults with other health parameters. We sought to examine the relationship between cell-mediated immunity as measured in vivo by the delayed-type hypersensitivity (DTH) response to candida antigen and demographic and physiological variables in older (65-80 y.

Exercise and the aging immune system.

Aging is associated with a decline in the normal functioning of the immune system that is described by the canopy term "immunosenescence". This contributes to poorer vaccine responses and the increased incidence of infection and malignancy seen in the elderly. Regular exercise has been associated with enhanced vaccination responses, lower numbers of exhausted/senescent T-cells, increased T-cell proliferative capacity, lower circulatory levels of inflammatory cytokines ("inflamm-aging"), increased neutrophil phagocytic activity, lowered inflammatory response to bacterial challenge, greater NK-cell cytotoxic activity and longer leukocyte telomere lengths in aging humans, all of which indicate that habitual exercise is capable of regulating the immune system and delaying the onset of immunosenescence.

Effects of exercise on weight loss and monocytes in obese mice.

Obesity causes innate immune dysfunction, contributing to increased disease risk. Weight loss from a combination of caloric restriction and exercise is the most effective treatment of obesity. We compared forced and voluntary exercise as weight-loss treatments in diet-induced obese (DIO) mice and assessed the effects of weight loss on monocyte concentration and cell-surface expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, TLR4, CD80, and CD86.

Rapid morphological characterization of isolated mitochondria using Brownian motion.

Mitochondrial morphology has been associated with numerous pathologies including cancer, diabetes, obesity and heart disease. However, the connection is poorly understood-in part due to the difficulty of characterizing the morphology. This impedes the use of morphology as a tool for disease detection/monitoring.

NK-cells have an impaired response to acute exercise and a lower expression of the inhibitory receptors KLRG1 and CD158a in humans with latent cytomegalovirus infection.

NK-cells and γδ T-cells are cytotoxic effectors of the immune system that are preferentially mobilized into the blood compartment in response to acute stress and exercise. While infection history is known to alter the phenotype and exercise-responsiveness of CD8+ T-cells, the influence of latent cytomegalovirus (CMV) and Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infections on the phenotypes and exercise-responsiveness of NK-cells and γδ T-cells are unknown. Twenty healthy males (age: 28.

A review focused on the psychological effectiveness of tai chi on different populations.

As a popular exercise form, Tai Chi (TC) has been investigated to determine its contributions to an active and healthy lifestyle. There are an increasing number of researchers who focus on exploring the potential physiological and psychological benefits of TC but only a few systematic reviews of these benefits to a variety of populations. The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively evaluate the reported psychological benefits associated with practicing TC.

Cardiovascular exercise training extends influenza vaccine seroprotection in sedentary older adults: the immune function intervention trial.

Objectives: To determine whether cardiovascular exercise training resulted in improved antibody responses to influenza vaccination in sedentary elderly people who exhibited poor vaccine responses.

Design: Single-site randomized parallel-arm 10-month controlled trial.

Setting: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

Repeated bouts of aerobic exercise enhance regulatory T cell responses in a murine asthma model.

We have reported previously that moderate intensity aerobic exercise training attenuates airway inflammation in a murine asthma model. Recent studies implicate regulatory T (Treg) cells in decreasing asthma-related airway inflammation; as such, the current study examined the effect of exercise on Treg cell function in a murine asthma model. Mice were sensitized with ovalbumin (OVA) prior to the start of exercise training at a moderate intensity 3x/week for 4weeks; exercise was performed as treadmill running (13.

Epithelial cells as immune effector cells: the role of CD40.

Through the expression of inflammatory mediators and immune-related molecules, epithelial cells function as immune effector cells in a wide variety of tissues; the expression of the CD40 receptor on these cells contributes this role. Engagement of CD40 activates epithelial cells and results in their release of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators as well as pro-fibrotic molecules. As such, epithelial CD40 has been implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory disorders, generation of self-tolerance, and rejection of allografts.

Temporal response of surface-relief fiber Bragg gratings to high temperature CO2 laser heating.

The authors use a fiber sensor integrated monitor (FSIM) as a fully functioning system to characterize the temporal response of a surface-relief fiber Bragg grating (SR-FBG) to temperature heating above 1000 degrees C. The SR-FBG is shown to have a rise time of about 77 ms for heating and a fall time of about 143 ms for cooling. The FSIM also provides full spectral scans at high speed that can be used to gain further insights into the temperature dynamics of a given system.

Cardiovascular exercise intervention improves the primary antibody response to keyhole limpet hemocyanin (KLH) in previously sedentary older adults.

Based upon a prior cross-sectional study, we hypothesized that an aerobic exercise intervention in sedentary older adults would improve a primary T cell-dependent immune response. Participants were a subset of older subjects from a large, ongoing exercise intervention study who were randomly assigned to either an aerobic exercise (Cardio, n=30, 68.9+0.

Optical D-fiber-based volatile organic compound sensor.

A fiber-optic sensor used to detect volatile organic compounds is described. The sensor consists of a single-mode D-fiber with a 2.5 microm polydimethylsiloxane layer.

Volatile organic compound sensing using a surface-relief D-shaped fiber Bragg grating and a polydimethylsiloxane layer.

The authors use a surface-relief fiber Bragg grating with a polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) layer as a volatile organic compound chemical sensor. A PDMS layer is used because it is compatible with the optical properties of the grating and exhibits good chemical selectivity. As the analyte is absorbed the refractive index of the PDMS changes, causing the Bragg wavelength to shift, and this shift is correlated to chemical type and concentration.

Polarization analysis of surface-relief D-fiber Bragg gratings.

Surface-relief fiber Bragg gratings exhibit substantially more polarization dependence than standard fiber Bragg gratings. Using D-fiber with different core orientations, surface-relief gratings are analyzed and fabricated to determine the polarization dependence. We show that the largest Bragg reflection occurs for the polarization state with a dominant TE field component parallel to the flat surface of the fiber.