Publications by authors named "M R Polen"

Hygge practices embody joy, peace, mindfulness, coziness, and conviviality. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive condition with complex therapies and physical limitations. Little is known about how hygge practice may impact individuals living with CF.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

is a Nordic practice and mindset of creating warmth and comfort from within to improve one's wellness. has not been explored well in the scientific literature, especially in the context of a chronic illness. This article describes the experiences of an adult woman with cystic fibrosis, a progressive, incurable genetic disease primarily affecting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, as she uses to cope with the daily challenges of her illness.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is the leading genetic disease among Caucasians; however, advances in diagnosis and treatment have improved both quality and quantity of life for those affected. A remarkable recent discovery is the triple-drug combination, elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor, which has been touted as a "miracle drug" for CF because of its demonstrated efficacy and safety. This case study reports on an adult woman with CF who experienced positive life-changing results from elexacaftor/tezacaftor/ivacaftor, and yet discovered that she lived in fear that its effectiveness would diminish, and her debilitating symptoms would return.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ice-nucleating particles (INPs) in biomass-burning aerosol (BBA) that affect cloud glaciation, microphysics, precipitation, and radiative forcing were recently found to be driven by the production of mineral phases. BBA experiences extensive chemical aging as the smoke plume dilutes, and we explored how this alters the ice activity of the smoke using simulated atmospheric aging of authentic BBA in a chamber reactor. Unexpectedly, atmospheric aging enhanced the ice activity for most types of fuels and aging schemes.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Ice nucleation and the resulting cloud glaciation are significant atmospheric processes that affect the evolution of clouds and their properties including radiative forcing and precipitation, yet the sources and properties of atmospheric ice nucleants are poorly constrained. Heterogeneous ice nucleation caused by ice-nucleating particles (INPs) enables cloud glaciation at temperatures above the homogeneous freezing regime that starts near -35 °C. Biomass burning is a significant global source of atmospheric particles and a highly variable and poorly understood source of INPs.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF