text:
Omega 3 fatty acids reduce myeloid progenitor cell frequency in the bone marrow of mice and promote progenitor cell differentiation
Melinda E Varney1,
W Elaine Hardman1 &
Vincent E Sollars1
Lipids in Health and Disease volume 8, Article number: 9 (2009) Cite this article
Omega 3 fatty acids have been found to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis, and promote differentiation in various cell types. The processes of cell survival, expansion, and differentiation are of key importance in the regulation of hematopoiesis. We investigated the role of omega 3 fatty acids in controlling the frequency of various myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of mice. Increased progenitor cell frequency and blocked differentiation are characteristics of hematopoietic disorders of the myeloid lineage, such as myeloproliferative diseases and myeloid leukemias.
We found that increasing the proportion of omega 3 fatty acids relative to the proportion of omega 6 fatty acids in the diet caused increased differentiation and reduced the frequency of myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of mice. Furthermore, this had no adverse effect on peripheral white blood cell counts.
Our results indicate that omega 3 fatty acids impact hematopoietic differentiation by reducing myeloid progenitor cell frequency in the bone marrow and promoting progenitor cell differentiation. Further exploration of this discovery could lead to the use of omega 3 fatty acids as a therapeutic option for patients that have various disorders of hematopoiesis.
Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are essential fatty acids that must be obtained from dietary sources. Recently, the ratio of omega 3 to omega 6 fatty acids consumed in the diet has been studied in relevance to cardiac health[1], neurological health[2], and cancer prevention[1].
Omega 3 fatty acids can compete with omega 6 fatty acids for the same metabolic enzymes. Omega 3 and omega 6 fatty acids are incorporated into cell membranes either directly or after elongation and desaturation by Δ4, Δ5, and Δ6 and desaturases[3, 4]. Omega 3 fatty acids have greater affinity for the Δ4 and Δ6 desaturases than omega 6 fatty acids [5–7]. Dietary linoleic acid (18 carbons, omega 6 fatty acid) is generally considered to be the major source of tissue arachidonic acid (20 carbons, omega 6 fatty acids) although meat fat can be a direct source of arachidonic acid[8]. All three major omega 3 fatty acids – α linolenic acid (18:3), eicosapentaenoic acid (20:5), and docosahexaenoic acid (22:6) – directly inhibit the production of arachidonic acid from linoleic acid[9]. Both arachidonic acid and eicosapentaenoic acid can be cleaved from the cell membrane phospholipid stores by phospholipase A2 and acted on by cyclooxygenases (either the constitutive COX1 or the inducible COX2) to produce prostaglandin precursors which are isomerized by prostaglandin synthases to produce prostaglandins. In this manner, COX converts arachidonic acid to form the 2-series prostaglandins that tend to be pro-proliferative and pro-inflammatory in most tissues[10]. Micromolar concentrations of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) increase human myeloid progenitor cell proliferation[11]. However, COX activity on eicosapentaenoic acid forms the 3 series prostaglandins that tend to have anti-proliferative and anti-inflammatory properties[10]. In addition to prostaglandins, leukotrienes and eicosanoids are formed from fatty acids through activity of various lipoxygenases. These have been shown to have varying and sometimes controversial effects on either hematopoietic stem cell or myeloid progenitor cell differentiation[11, 12]. Thus, a model system approach is needed to effectively dissect the net effect of dietary fatty acids on hematopoiesis in vivo.
Abnormal hematopoiesis often involves expansion of immature cells of the myeloid lineage. In these cases, progenitor cell frequency could be expanded by increased proliferation, decreased apoptosis, or both. If omega 3 fatty acids inhibit proliferation or induce apoptosis in myeloid progenitor cells, they could alleviate the cellular expansion that occurs in certain disorders of hematopoiesis. Another characteristic of these disorders is a block in differentiation. During normal hematopoiesis, a continuum of differentiation exists, such that long term hematopoietic stem cells progressively differentiate to produce terminally differentiated cells of the blood. Since omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to promote differentiation [11], they may serve as a therapeutic tool [13–16] for disorders involving the inhibition of normal differentiation.
Our results indicate that the frequency of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow of mice fed fish oil diets is two-fold less than in those fed corn oil diets. Our data also indicate that this reduction of progenitor cells does not have an adverse effect on the number of circulating white blood cells in the periphery, even after prolonged dietary change. These results suggest a possible role for omega 3 fatty acids as therapeutic agents in disorders involving expansion of myeloid progenitors, such as the myeloid leukemias.
High levels of omega 3 fatty acids alter the character of the myeloid progenitor cell compartment in the bone marrow
Progenitors for myeloid cells in bone marrow that can be assessed by colony forming cell (CFC) assays include granulocyte erythrocyte macrophage megakaryocyte (GEMM) progenitors, granulocyte macrophage (GM) progenitors, erythrocyte (E) progenitors, granulocyte (G) progenitors, and macrophage (M) progenitors. Only these progenitors have the necessary growth factors and proliferation capacity to produce colonies in the CFC assay. Morphology of these colony types are shown in Figure 1. Mice were fed fish oil (high level omega 3 fatty acids) or corn oil (low level omega 3 fatty acids) containing diets (Tables 1 and 2). Mice that were fed the fish oil diet had a significantly lower (p = 0.010) frequency of total myeloid progenitor cells (9.78 ± 0.46 × 10-4) than those mice fed the corn oil diet (2.10 ± 0.55 × 10-3) (Fig. 2A). These results indicate that omega 3 fatty acids were inducing a reduction in total myeloid progenitors in bone marrow. GM, G, and M progenitors were significantly less (p < 0.05) frequent in the bone marrow of mice fed the fish oil diet than those fed the corn oil diet (Fig. 2A). Interestingly, E progenitors did not change in their frequency with diet, indicating omega 3 fatty acids preferentially affected levels of GM progenitors and their daughter cells (see Fig. 1). There was also a larger frequency of GEMM progenitors, which are early progenitors, in corn oil (5.16 ± 4.32 × 10-5) vs. fish oil (1.20 ± 1.20 × 10-5) fed mice. Although this was a greater than 4 fold difference in frequency, the difference was not statistically significant (p = 0.11) and the rarity of this progenitor relative to others made it difficult to accurately assay with this technique.
Hematopoiesis Differentiation Continuum – Myeloid Progenitor Morphology. Hematopoiesis exists as a continuum of differentiation. Colony morphology representing the various myeloid progenitor cells is shown (magnification = 100×) in a differentiation hierarchy beginning with the least differentiated progenitor and continuing to the most differentiated progenitor. Abbreviations: Granulocyte erythrocyte macrophage megakaryocyte (GEMM), granulocyte macrophage (GM), erythrocyte (E), granulocyte (G), macrophage (M).
Fish oil diets cause changes in the steady state levels of myeloid progenitors in the bone marrow. (A) Colony forming cell (CFC) assay results of bone marrow from mice fed corn oil (high omega 6) vs. fish oil (high omega 3) diets until 60 days of age. Colonies formed represent the presence of a progenitor cell where the type of colony determines which progenitor cell type is present. Comparisons marked with (*) were found to be significantly different (p < 0.05). Error bars represent SEMs (n = 5). (B-C) Data from (A) where each colony type is shown as a proportion of total progenitor cell frequency for each diet.
Table 1 Modified AIN-76A Diet Composition.
Table 2 Compositions of dietary fats (approximate %).
Analysis of the proportions of progenitor cells that make up the myeloid progenitor cell compartment in these mice revealed that mice fed a fish oil diet had a much different proportion of early and late stage progenitors compared to those fed a corn oil diet (p = 0.00015). There was a greater percentage of later stage progenitor cells (G, M, E progenitors) in fish oil diet fed mice (94.9 ± 1.6%) when compared to mice fed a corn oil diet (71.3 ± 4.8%) (Fig. 2B). Conversely, there was a greater proportion of earlier stage progenitors (GEMM and GM progenitors) in corn oil fed mice (28.7 ± 4.8%) vs. fish oil fed mice (5.15 ± 1.6%). Thus, our data indicate that the bone marrow of mice fed a high level of omega 3 fatty acids had a more differentiated myeloid progenitor cell compartment than that of mice fed a diet containing mostly omega 6 fatty acids.
High levels of omega 3 fatty acids do not have an adverse effect on white blood cell production in the peripheral blood
To account for the concern that a lower progenitor cell frequency or a greater proportion of differentiated progenitor cells in the bone marrow may cause a reduction in white blood cells in peripheral blood and therefore a weakened immune system, we performed white blood cell (WBC) counts on mice fed these diets from weaning to 115 days. Results indicated no significant differences in peripheral WBC counts in corn oil fed mice (14,825 WBC/μl) and fish oil fed mice (13,760 WBC/μl) (Fig. 3). Thus, fish oil diets induce a homeostatic condition of decreased progenitor cell frequency in the myeloid compartment of the bone marrow without adverse effects on WBC production.
Fish oil diets do not cause adverse reduction of white blood cell counts in the peripheral blood. White blood cell (WBC) counts in WBC/μl from female mice on the two diets until 115 days of age (n = 4 for fish oil, n = 5 for corn oil, p = 0.602). Error bars represent SEMs.
Our results indicate that omega 3 fatty acids reduce total myeloid progenitor cell frequency and promote differentiation of specific progenitor cell types in the bone marrow of mice. Furthermore, this reduction of progenitors does not have an adverse effect on levels of circulating white blood cells. Our data indicate that omega 3 fatty acid effects are particular to granulocyte and macrophage progenitor cells rather than erythrocyte maturation. The effects of omega 3 fatty acids may occur as early in maturation as the GEMM progenitor stage, and then be propagated to the GM and later progenitor stages. While our results indicate a difference at the GM progenitor stage, they are also suggestive, although inconclusive, of a difference at the GEMM stage. We are currently examining this question with ongoing experiments to look at the earliest stem and progenitor cell stages of hematopoiesis.
Examination of the effects of omega 3 fatty acids on hematopoiesis could lead to potential therapeutic options for patients with disorders of the blood. Future work would include investigating the mechanisms of action for these events. Mechanisms by which omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to inhibit proliferation, induce apoptosis, and promote differentiation in many cancers include the regulation of signaling pathways and gene expression by peroxisome proliferator receptor activator γ(PPARγ), for which omega 3 fatty acids are natural ligands[17]. Another mechanism of action of omega 3 fatty acids includes inhibition of cyclooxygenase 2 (COX2), which is upregulated in various cancers and is known to have proproliferative and antiapoptotic effects [18–26]. Furthermore, the combination of activating PPARγ and inhibition of COX2 expression has recently been shown to inhibit proliferation and induce apoptosis in pancreatic cancer[27]. We plan to explore these, among other mechanisms, using our animal model.
Regardless of the mechanisms by which omega 3 fatty acids reduce and differentiate myeloid progenitor cells in the bone marrow of mice, these dietary agents serve as a promising option for therapy. The inhibitory effect of omega 3 fatty acids on immune system function[11, 28] has led to the use of fish oils that are high in these fatty acids in the management of several inflammatory and autoimmune diseases[28]. Suppression of omega 6 derived eicosanoids has been proposed as a strategy for chemoprevention and as an adjunct for treatment of cancer [13–16]. Our results suggest that using omega 3 fatty acids to more rapidly differentiate myeloid progenitor cells may slow progression of disorders of hematopoiesis, including leukemias, and restore a more normal myeloid progenitor cell compartment in the bone marrow.
Mice were housed in the AAALAC accredited animal facilities of the Marshall Universitiy School of Medicine. All animal use and care was approved by the Marshall University Institutional Animal and Use Committee. The mice were housed 3 to 4 in a cage and individually numbered for identification.
The base diet was an AIN-76A diet modified by substitution of 5% sucrose for 5% more oils to contain a total of 10% w/w oil (Tables 1 and 2). The fish oil diet contained 3.65% n-3 fatty acids and 1.3% n-6 fatty acids. The corn oil diet contained 0.1% n-3 fatty acids and 6.1% n-6 fatty acids. Diets were prepared in the Marshall University School of Medicine animal diet prep room. Diet composition is shown in Table 1 and was formulated to be isocaloric, isonutrient and relevant to human consumption. The AIN-76A diet is adequate for the nutritional support of the mice[29]. The dry ingredients of the diet were obtained in bulk from MP Biomedicals (Solon, Ohio), sugar, corn and canola oil were purchased locally (100% canola oil, 100% corn oil, no additives or preservatives). The omega 3 supplement (OmegaRx Liquid) was purchased from Zone Labs, Danvers, MA. Batches of diet were prepared as needed, about every two weeks. The diet mixture was pressed into trays and cut into small squares. Individual cage sized portions (25–30 g) were stored in sealed containers at -20°C to prevent oxidation of the fat and bacterial growth in the food. Mice had free access to food and water and were fed fresh food 5 days per week. Food removed from cages was discarded.
Colony Forming Cell (CFC) Assays
FVB X sv129 F1hybrid mice were fed either a fish oil diet (n = 5) or a corn oil diet (n = 5) from weaning until 60 days old. CFC assays were then performed upon bone marrow isolated from these mice as previously discussed[30, 31]. Briefly, bone marrow was harvested by flushing from the femurs with Iscove's Modified Dulbecco's Medium (IMDM) and cells were counted and seeded in 4 well plates in at a density determined empirically by a pilot study conducted with a broad and consistent range of seeding densities. After linear response of colony production to seeding density was ensured by the pilot study, seeding densities of 2.09 × 104 (fish oil) and 7.75 × 103 (corn oil) cells/well were chosen to produce 10–30 colonies for each well. Bone marrow was cultured in 1% semi-solid Methocult M3434 (StemCell Technologies), supplemented with 0.4% autochthonous sera. Cells were incubated for 6–7 days to allow colony formation. Colonies with a minimum cell number of 20 were scored as positive using an inverted microscope at 40× magnification. Colonies were counted based on morphological features that are associated with each progenitor type. Student's t type tests were used to detect differences between the experimental groups (n = 5).
White Blood Cell Counts
White blood cell counts were performed on EDTA anticoagulated peripheral blood from tail veins of corn and fish oil fed female mice aged 115 days. Fish and corn oil diets were instituted after weaning. Student's t type tests were used to detect differences between the experimental groups.
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This work was supported by NIH grants 1R03 CA129790, 1R01 CA114018, and 5P20RR020180, as well as with support from the NASA WV Space Grant Consortium issued by NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Grant Number NNG05GF80H. We would like to acknowledge John Wilkinson IV for assistance in proofing the manuscript and discussion of results, as well as Yulia Dementieva for advisement on statistical analysis.
Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Marshall University School of Medicine, One John Marshall Drive, Huntington, WV, 25755, USA
Melinda E Varney, W Elaine Hardman & Vincent E Sollars
Melinda E Varney
W Elaine Hardman
Vincent E Sollars
Correspondence to Vincent E Sollars.
MEV was responsible for the large part of data acquisition. MEV and VES analyzed data and wrote this manuscript. WEH provided the mice with appropriate diets and intellectual contributions on study design. VES and MEV provided intellectual contribution on study design as well. VES coordinated the project.
Varney, M.E., Hardman, W.E. & Sollars, V.E. Omega 3 fatty acids reduce myeloid progenitor cell frequency in the bone marrow of mice and promote progenitor cell differentiation. Lipids Health Dis 8, 9 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-511X-8-9
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/1476-511X-8-9
Myeloid Progenitor Cell
Granulocyte Macrophage Progenitor
Colony Form Cell Assay
Progenitor Stage
Progenitor Cell Frequency


This is a third party add on of the AH-1G Cobra using models and cockpits created by me.
It is designed for and works in the SF1 and SF2 series.
However this pack is build on SF1 folder tree.
For SF2 You have to separete Decals folders.
There is a plenty of tutorials how to convert to SF2 series.
For now temporary i dont have posibility to convert and work on SF2 sim. Temporary.
This is freeware; it CANNOT be distrubuted unless permissions are granted by myself.
Copy folders into specific folders in your game.
Add Nations.ini line (below) if you dont have US Army Aviation yet.
I missed one thing. Pilots.
Use favorite pilots of your choice.
station code and will work only with this weapon pack.
speed. Use vector throttle to control speed.
working like i want but better then nothing.
best what can be done for SF engine. Rocket pods are ok with correct angle on inboard stations.
versions. I will upload it little later in weapon pack update.
and navy SUU-11. XM118 smoke dispenser and also zuni LAU for future.


I invite you to come aboard for an adventure on the beautiful waters of Northeast Florida! Passengers enjoy a smooth and stable sail along the First Coast, River, or watch the sunset. On private charters, clients can customize their sail route while a licensed, experienced and knowledgeable crew takes care of the rest. Types of Experiences: - Sightseeing - Anniversaries - Birthdays - Graduations - Dolphin Visits - Euphoria What You Can Expect: Miss Connie is open and spacious with plenty of room to stretch out and soak up the sun. You can walk the deck, roll on the trampoline or simply sit back and enjoy the ride while we make sure your sail is fun and safe for the whole family. What to Expect Onboard: Miss Connie has been designed for the comfort of her passengers. Her large cockpit with a dodger and a canvas Bimini top brings enough space for at least eight guests. She is fully equipped with a galley, stove, fridge, and freezer, and head (toilet). She is perfectly equipped for offshore sailing and meets all the requirements of the U.S. Coast Guard. Rental Requirements In case of a last minute cancellation, you may reschedule your Tour for another day. Weather conditions in Northeast Florida vary. Please check the weather forecast. In the occasional event that the weather does not allow for safe and comfortable sailing conditions, which will be the Captain's decision, we will contact you as soon as possible. You will have the options to receive a complete refund of your deposit or reschedule the tour for another date. FAQs: Where and when will we meet? Fernandina Beach is the meeting point or location where travelers will need to gather to join any tour or attraction that we offer. The meeting point is: 1619 N 14th Street Fernandina Beach, FL 32034 What do I need to bring on the boat? - Dress casual for your personal comfort - Bring sunglasses, sunscreen and a hat (for sun or to keep warm) - Wear close toe, non-marking shoes (Ex: white rubber-soled tennis shoes) - A packed meal, light snacks, soft drinks, bottled water…etc. Can we bring our Kids? Yes you may; but please ensure we have an appropriately sized lifejacket or that you bring one specifically for the child. What is the duration of the Tour? A typical day cruise will run from 2 to 5 hours. Please note that we cannot guarantee an exact return time. Thus you should plan accordingly. Is the route for each Tour the same? The route we take may vary depending of the weather, wind, tides and currents. However, we will do our best to follow the proposed route. Can I be involved in boat navigation? You may help to steer the boat and work the sails, as your tour is also a sailing adventure. The Captain will make the final call, depending on sailing conditions. What if I get seasick? Catamarans have a two-hull feature which makes them very stable compared to mono-hull boats. If you think you are prone to motion sickness, you may consider taking or bringing along medications used to treat or reduce the symptoms of motion sickness. Is it safe and do I need to wear a life jacket? Your Safety is our priority! Everybody will be briefed on safety procedures before each tour. We may require the wearing of lifejackets due to inclement weather.
My best friends and I had the pleasure of spending the afternoon with Captain Jason and First Mate Chad, they were FANTASTIC!!! They were not only fun and accomadating but also attended to all of our requests while engaging with us in a friendly manner. I would love to come back for another trip in the future. Thank you for the excellent experience on the Intercoastal Waterway!
100% refund if cancellation is 24 hours prior to rental.


Description Check out this 2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. Its Automatic transmission and Gas V6 3.6L/220 engine will keep you going. This Jeep Wrangler Unlimited comes equipped with these options: UCONNECT 430N -inc: AM/FM stereo w/CD/DVD/MP3 player, 40GB hard drive w/28GB available, 6.5" touch screen, GPS navigation, SiriusXM travel link w/1-year subscription, P255/70R18 ON/OFF-ROAD OWL TIRES (STD), CONVENTIONAL REAR DIFFERENTIAL (STD), CONNECTIVITY GROUP -inc: tire pressure monitoring display, Uconnect voice command w/Bluetooth, remote USB port, vehicle info center, BODY COLOR 3-PIECE HARD TOP -inc: freedom panel storage bag, rear window defroster, rear window wiper w/washer, BLACK INTERIOR, CLOTH SEAT TRIM, BLACK, 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION (STD), 3.6L SMPI 24V VVT V6 ENGINE (STD), and 3.21 AXLE RATIO. See it for yourself at Cutter Chrysler Dodge Jeep RAM Fiat, 777 Ala Moana Blvd, Honolulu, HI 96813.


text:
My Favourite Game: Assassin's Creed II, by Louise Blain
Posted byJohnny Cullen October 15, 2014 March 6, 2015
We begin tonight with this fact: Assassin's Creed III was rubbish. Really rubbish.
It's a good thing its predecessor, Assassin's Creed II, was not. Not that II was without its flaws, but it built upon a decently laid foundation from the 2007 original. It provided one of the best protagonists of the last generation in Ezio, an epic world to explore in Venice and thensome.
For me, even talking about it makes me want to go back and play it. For Louise Blain, Assassin's Creed II is not only her favourite game, it's the game that sent her down a rabbit hole of Assassin's Creed fandom after a few years out from playing games.
Listen for the next hour as we go through Assassin's Creed II, tear into Assassin's Creed III and look back a bit too on Silent Hill. We may also get a bit geeky on trailers and soundtracks too.
You can listen to the episode below via audio or YouTube. Download version is coming soon.
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qkZ1dPKnJJY]
[audio https://archive.org/download/mfg-assassins-creed-ii-louise/first%20take.mp3]
Audio (right click > save as)|YouTube|iTunes|Non-iTunes feed
Games Mentioned: Assassin's Creed II, Jurassic Park: The Lost World, Tomb Raider 2, Crash Bandicoot, Crash Team Racing, Velocity 2X, Silent Hill, Resident Evil, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIII-2, Final Fantasy XV, Kingdom Hearts, Burnout 3: Takedown, Silent Hill 4: The Room, Super Mario Galaxy, Dead Rising, Animal Crossing: New Leaf, Grand Theft Auto IV, Pokemon X&Y, El Shaddai: Ascension of the Metatron, Assassin's Creed, Assassin's Creed: Unity, Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, Assassin's Creed III, Grand Theft Auto V, Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood, Assassin's Creed: Revelations, Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag, Assassin's Creed: Rogue, Assassin's Creed III: Liberation, Rayman Legends, Sound Shapes, Batman: Arkham Asylum, Batman: Arkham City, Burnout Paradise, BioShock Infinite, Journey, P.T., Outlast.
Twitter: @JohnnyCullen|@Shiny_Demon
See Louise's stuff at: TechRadar|Official PlayStation Magazine UK|GamesMaster|Guinness World Record: Gamers Edition
Jon Brady on Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
Listen to previous episodes of My Favourite Game here.
Posted byJohnny Cullen October 15, 2014 March 6, 2015 Posted inBlog
My Favourite Game: The Curse of Monkey Island, by Ben Cordell
My Favourite Game now live on iTunes!

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


For that, we turn to Grey Gardens, that classic portrait of blue-blooded decay; the massively influential documentary is referenced nearly every season. And indeed the Beales were fascinating characters, but their story wasn't exactly a happy one. So, what if they were still around today? What if they were a little less isolated, if their house was infested with fewer raccoons?
Here, we took on a more playful style that still embodies a quirky spirit--like if instead of the raccoons, the house was filled with bright birds and flowers. Pattern-filled Gucci with a big church lady hat certainly seems like something both Beales would gravitate towards. Cummings had his spring lady, and in the famous doc, the two Beales often referenced Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Marble Faun -- both seem like lovely descriptors for a creature in these clothes.
E.E. Cummings wrote that he "swore by all flowers," that love entails the need to "wholly be a fool while Spring is in the world." It's one of the oldest metaphors in the book: love is like spring, like flowers blossoming, like color coming back to a grey world. And while the aforementioned association may be ancient, that doesn't mean it's not true. As romance blooms, so should flowers—meaning that whomever you're dating should go buy more of them.
These looks, featuring the likes of Etro, Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana, Burberry, and Gucci, are bright and airy, perfect for the beginning of a new love (let's not think about the end). Textured flowers and tropical birds and light fabrics are what spring is all about, both in the metaphorical and literal senses.
But romance might be a bit too tidy and happy for creative types. Most lovers wouldn't necessarily appreciate big church lady hats. But maybe someone would who's a little bit kooky, a little bit off.


I think a lot of us spend a lot of time chasing our tails and living in boxes we put ourselves in or others have put us in or driven us into because we felt we had to rebel and that rebellion turned into false self. You can stop chasing your tail etc…, really you can. How do you?
First, friggin acknowledge you're chasing your tail, recognize you are.
Sixth, get over any fear, guilt complex etc.., life is one only and we only get one shot at living our fullest potential and dreams. If you need someone to have your back as you work through the fear and guilt stuff, find someone who is a tough cookie, still caring etc… who knows about chasing tails, getting out of boxes etc.., let them help you through the journey, don't be a stubborn ….
I know, easy for me to say, right. Yes and no because up until the Fibromyalgia hit me hard and turned my life upside down and took me on this journey to clarity, I was chasing my tail, I was in a box. I have had to stop chasing my tail, come out of my box, and am doing so every day more and more, so I know about chasing tail, stopping the tail chasing and coming out of boxes. I have a lot more coming out of the box to do, but I will because I am a determined SOB, in a good way, including tough love on myself as necessary. I have also set boundaries, and if I am doing artistic stuff I won't answer phone calls, even if it's family. I also realized I can't do transitions on my own, so I have friends on FB and in life that are a great help. I also realize that to get out of the box artistically, I will have to collaborate with Christian artists and R&B/Soul artists and I have never done collaboration, except for some stuff with my friend Kim years ago. I don't care, I will step out of the box, stop chasing my tail going round and round doing the same stuff that might not get me anywhere because that is just pain stupid to do. Staying in boxes etc.., not too smart long term for growth, so if you want to stop chasing your tail, this is rough guide to it in a few steps.


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Q: Restricted probability I have the following problem:
I want to simulate a network evolution through a Markov process. The simulation is about disease spread and so each node as (in a first simulation) only two states: infected of not infected. I want to start with a single infected node and once infected it will become in this state forever. The infected node will infect its neighbours with probability p_{ij}, for the infected node i, and non-infected node j.   Now, in each step I want a single infection to occur. So, my problem is how do I simulate this process with the restriction of a single infection per iteration. In this iteration I could calculate the probability of 0, 1, 2,... or n infections and then simulate from it. But I want the restriction of just one infection per iteration. At first I thought: well, I just need to calculate the probability of 0 and 1 infections. But is this correct? Because then, in the simulation, I'm not considering the cases that in the simulation process would result in 2, 3 ... or n infectious. Or, by other words, by considering just 0 or 1 infections probability, I not using a normalized probability to 1.

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


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UNESCO condemns Iran's Holocaust cartoon contest
Head of UN body says event 'can only foster hatred and incite to violence, racism and anger'
By JTA 16 May 2016, 5:16 am Edit
An Iranian man looks at a cartoon showing late German dictator Hilter at the second international exhibition of drawing and cartoons on the Holocaust in Tehran on May 14, 2016. (AFP / ATTA KENARE)
The United Nations cultural agency, UNESCO, condemned a state-sponsored Holocaust-themed cartoon contest taking place in Iran.
The Second International Holocaust Cartoon Contest opened Saturday and was set to run through the end of May in Tehran. The top prize is $12,000.
"Such an initiative, which aims at a mockery of the genocide of the Jewish people, a tragic page of humanity's history, can only foster hatred and incite to violence, racism and anger," Irina Bokova, the director general of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, said over the weekend. "This contest goes against the universal values of tolerance and respect, and runs counter to the action led by UNESCO to promote Holocaust education, to fight anti-Semitism and denial."
Some 150 works from 50 countries are on display in the contest, which is organized by nongovernmental bodies in Iran with support from the government. Most of the works criticize Israel for using the Holocaust to distract the international community from its treatment of the Palestinians.
The chief of the UN's education and culture agency, Irina Bokova of Bulgaria (AP/Raad Adayleh)
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the weekly cabinet meeting on Sunday also criticized the event.
"It is not just its policy of subversion and aggression in the region; it is the values on which it is based," Netanyahu said of Iran. "It denies and belittles the Holocaust and it is also preparing another Holocaust. I think that every country in the world must stand up and fully condemn this."
The Israeli leader added that he conveyed this message to US Secretary of State John Kerry in a phone conversation on Saturday night. Kerry is traveling in Saudi Arabia.
State Department spokesman Mark Toner, who is traveling with Kerry, said in a briefing to reporters that the United States was concerned the contest could "be used as a platform for Holocaust denial and revisionism and egregiously anti-Semitic speech, as it has in the past," The Associated Press reported.
"Such offensive speech should be condemned by the authorities and civil society leaders rather than encouraged. We denounce any Holocaust denial and trivialization as inflammatory and abhorrent. It is insulting to the memory of the millions of people who died in the Holocaust."
Holocaust denial


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There's Something About Salome
Posted by Matthew Kennedy on June 22, 2021
When Salome requests a severed head on a platter, be careful what you wish for. Or write. Or draw.
In 1894, Oscar Wilde and Aubrey Beardsley—both considered enfants terribles of Victorian England for their provocative work and lifestyles—produced a printed edition of Wilde's play Salome. Wilde's psychological centralization on the character of Salome and Beardsley's transgressive illustrations became emblematic of evolving ideas of sexuality of the time.
Salome herself is an unnamed figure plucked out of the New Testament of the Bible, and who, over the centuries, has transcended into a popular subject for art, literature, and opera, as well as film noir as Norma Desmond's comeback film in Sunset Boulevard. In the biblical tale, as well as in Wilde's play, Salome is the daughter of Herod, king of Judea, and becomes infatuated with Saint John the Baptist (named in the play Jokanaan). He rejects her, claiming himself a man of the Lord God and proclaiming "By woman came evil into the world."[i] Later, Herod asks Salome to dance for him in exchange for any gift, and, as revenge, she requests Jokanaan's severed head be delivered to her on a silver platter. She kisses the severed head and is promptly crushed to death by Herod's soldiers. [End of tragedy.]
Frontispiece and Title Page, Salome, 1894; Illustrated by Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (English, 1872–1898); Lithography on paper; H x W: 22 × 30.5 cm (8 11/16 in. × 12 in.); Smithsonian Institution Libraries, PR5820 .S2 E1894
After creating initial drawings for Salome is 1892,[ii] Beardsley was commissioned to illustrate the 1894 English-language edition of the play.[iii] As evident in this frontispiece, Beardsley conjured an intricate fantasy to ornament Wilde's sumptuous text. In striking black and white, elongated figures mix and mingle in dimension-defying space.[iv] Characteristic of Beardsley's larger oeuvre, the illustrations possess "'groundless earth, the floating figures in the air, the vague intersweep of figures and draperies, the reckless lack of perspective' (Macfall), to create an imaginative world without reference to any objective reality."[v] The illustrations—sixteen in all—have a wandering relationship with play itself, at times depicting important dramatic moments—such as The Climax, which earned Beardsley the commission initially—and at other times presenting imaginative possibilities in the characters' realities, digressive of the plot. (And they offer some of the finest fashion moments of the Decadent Movement, particularly the Black Cape and the Peacock Skirt.) But while Wilde gradually cooks up a quagmire of desire amongst his characters, Beardsley lays bare the sexual dynamics of the drama: "It is the outré art of Aubrey Beardsley, with its lurid representations of hermaphroditism, masturbation, genetic monstrosities, and full nudity, that most accurately illustrates both the subject matter and the spirit of the play and is, therefore, the most truly relevant of all contemporary graphic depictions of Wilde's Salome."[vi]
Drawing, The Peacock Skirt, Salome, 1893; Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (British, 1872-1898); Black ink and graphite on white wove paper; 23 x 16.8 cm (9 1/16 x 6 5/8 in.); Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.649; Photo © President and Fellows of Harvard College
While iconoclastic in aesthetics and supposed perversion, Salome serves as a striking touch point to evolving ideas around sexuality in the late-Victorian era of the 1890s. Both psychological and scientific interest in non-heterosexual existences blossomed while simmering countercultures rebelled against morality-driven Victorian social norms through independence and decadence. Of Beardsley's work, "His illustrations of sexually assertive women and androgynous figures represented new identity types in fin de siècle culture—The New Woman and the Dandy. Whether engaged in homosexual or heterosexual play . . . Beardsley's characters not only reduced heterosexuality to one of many possibilities but also challenged the rigid polarity of the Victorian conception of gender."[vii] While Beardsley himself likely identified as heterosexual, "his work is queer in the sense that it continually crosses genders and sexualities."[viii] This context doesn't merely function as a background to Beardsley's work, but, rather, Beardsley's work becomes emblematic of the historical moment. Beardsley's presentation of the figures is a queering of Victorian values, supplementing Wilde's play, highlighting transgressive sexual desires and blurring the traditional gender binary into fantastical androgyny.
While Beardsley's illustrations for Salome are arguably his most famous works, his association with Wilde ultimately crippled his budding career. Wilde's infamous trials for libel and then "gross indecency" began in February 1895; he was imprisoned by May of that year. Beardsley was fired from the magazine The Yellow Book as guilt by association, and retreated to the south of France; he died of tuberculosis in 1898 at the age of twenty-five.
Literary and art historians find ample material of self-reference to Wilde in his Salome (Beardsley also included him, perhaps mockingly, in his illustrations—here in the Frontispiece, on the far left), and many such historians draw a parallel between Salome's forbidden infatuation with Jokanaan and Wilde's famed "love that dare not speak its name,"[ix] given the criminalization of homosexual acts with the Labouchere Amendment in Britain in 1885.[x] In this interpretation, Salome becomes a resonant microcosm of desire, pursuit, and repression. Oft-cited Salome scholar Elliot L. Gilbert concludes that "Salome is essentially a play about power: about who is to have it, who is to exercise it, how it is to be transmitted."[xi]
So be careful around severed heads on platters.
Matthew J. Kennedy is Cross-Platform Publications Associate at Cooper Hewitt. For Oscar.
[i] Oscar Wilde, Salome, trans. Lord Alfred Douglas (London: Elkin Mathews & John Lane, 1894).
[ii] For more: https://www.bl.uk/collection-items/aubrey-beardsley-illustrations-for-salome-by-oscar-wilde.
[iii] Wilde originally wrote the play in French, and it was translated into English by Wilde's lover Lord Alfred Douglas—a love story itself of modern-historical biblical proportion.
[iv] Beardsley's artistic style of the period was influenced by a trip to Paris in 1892 where he saw posters papering the Parisian cityscape that were themselves borrowing visual vocabulary from Japanese woodblock prints.
[v] Elliot L. Gilbert, "'Tumult of Images': Wilde, Beardsley, and 'Salome,'" Victorian Studies 26, no. 2 (Winter, 1983).
[vi] Gilbert, "'Tumult of Images': Wilde, Beardsley, and 'Salome.'"
[vii] Amanda Fernbach, "Wilde's 'Salomé' and the Ambiguous Fetish," Victorian Literature and Culture 29, no. 1 (2001).
[viii] Richard Dellamora, "Aubrey Beardsley and Victorian Sexual Politics by Linda Gertner Zatlin," review of Aubrey Beardsley and Victorian Sexual Politics, by Linda Gertner Zatlin, Victorian Studies, Vol. 36, No. 1 (Autumn, 1992).
[ix] Lord Alfred Douglas, "Two Loves," in The Chameleon (London, 1894).
[x] "1885 Labouchere Amendment," www.parliament.uk, https://www.parliament.uk/about/living-heritage/transformingsociety/private-lives/relationships/collections1/sexual-offences-act-1967/1885-labouchere-amendment/.
[xi] Gilbert, "'Tumult of Images': Wilde, Beardsley, and 'Salome.'"
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Aesthetic Movement Aubrey Beardsley Decadent Movement illustration lgbtqia+ Oscar Wilde


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William Dauster
Bill has been in health care fundraising and marketing since 1981 and has been a Certified Fundraising Executive since the mid 90's. He has served on the New Jersey Association of Fundraising Professionals' Board, as the founding President of the AFP NY Westchester Chapter serving as President from 2010-2016, and on AFP's national Diversity Committee. He was a member or Rotary Clubs in Peekskill, NY and Jersey City, and now in East Wallkill, NY (Chair of the International Service Committee) and as well as many community non-profit boards including a FQHC and a home for "border babies."
He has served on the Constitution Island Association Board in Cold Spring, NY since 2006 and is the Development Chair currently leading a $700,000 campaign to renovate the island's historic Warner House. He is a member of the Vision Hudson Valley board of trustees and has participated in their 2021 rebranding, recruitment of a new Executive Director and enhancement of their development program.
Currently President, Garnet Health Foundation in Middletown, NY since 2014, Bill served as Vice President, Marketing & Development for Hudson Valley Hospital Center in Cortlandt Manor, NY (2007-2014) and as Senior Vice President for Development and Public Affairs for Liberty Health System (three hospitals, medical group, HMO and home care company) in Jersey City, NJ (1992-2007). Prior to these positions, he worked at Saint Michael's Medical Center in Newark, NJ and as a reporter. He has worked on multiple capital campaigns including a $16 million one that doubled the size of Hudson Valley Hospital Center and $20 million campaign for a replacement facility for a new waterfront Jersey City Medical Center. He recently completed a $3.3 million Future Is Orange campaign for the expansion of Orange Regional Medical Center and is currently managing the $7 million Every Minute Counts campaign for the expansion of the emergency department and trauma center launched earlier this year.
During his time with the Garnet Health Foundation, foundation assets have grown from just under $4 million to over $11 million (July 2021 financials).
FEMA trained, Bill served as the spokesperson for Jersey City Medical Center and the New Jersey Hospital Association on September 11 as well as other serious regional disasters including nursing strikes, patient celebrities, large public chemical spills and train collisions in the Meadowlands. In the early 1980's, Bill won regional and national awards for coordinating an international media campaign when Dr. James Oleske, a pediatric immunologist, documented the transmission of AIDS to unborn infants.
Bill is a graduate of William Paterson University, Paterson, NJ and New York University's Brooklyn Campus and earned a 300-hour Certificate in Fundraising Management.
An avid outdoorsman, Bill is a member of the AMC 4000 Footer Club of the White Mountains and Catskill 3500 Club and volunteers as a fire tower observer at Balsam Lake Mountain in the Catskill Mountains during summer weekends. He resides in Oakland, NJ with his wife Gail and their Small Munsterlander bird dog Minna. His son Jack works for the State of New Jersey as an energy sustainability case manager and his daughter Natalie works as a cardiac quality case manager for Englewood Hospital.
Previous Trustee
Greg DeBuck
Next Trustee
Alexandra (Ali) Church


The film Crop Circles is a poetic documentation of the phenomenon of crop circles. Filmed with a Super-8 camera, the colours and tones dissolve into one another, giving an almost impressionistic character to the film. The filming shifts between a bird's-eye perspective and a ground level perspective. We are witness to an impressive visual array of corn circles in all their many guises – geometric forms, animated bird-like shapes and intricate symbols. The circular forms contrast with the repetitive lines of carefully planted corn. The central motif is the cultivated landscape of fields, with sparse areas of habitation, pointing out the liminal zone between nature and culture. In this film however, it´s unsure whats separating the two. Similar to Robert Smithsons documentation films of his land art sculpture Spiral Jetty, patterns and forms occur in the overviewed landscape. But in contrast to Smithsons idea of entropy, in Crop Circles, nature´s "movement towards disorder" is changed to a determination towards organizing and the construction of meaning.


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Investigation of Symptom Severity, Self-Esteem, & Suicidality in Anxiety Disorders and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
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Full Length Research Article - (2022) Volume 17, Issue 6
Yomna Alaa, Mostafa O Shahin, Dina Y Afifi and Doaa R. Ayoub*
*Correspondence: Doaa R. Ayoub, Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt, Tel: +201008801188, Email: ,
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Psychiatry Department, Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
Received: 01-Dec-2022 Published: 21-Dec-2022
Introduction: Suicide is becoming increasingly a worldwide pressing health concern. Recent emerging studies established that anxiety disorders carry a high suicidal risk independent of possible comorbid depression. On the other hand, suicidal ideations were reported in countless types of research amongst patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Furthermore, low Self-esteem is a known risk factor for numerous negative outcomes; it has been associated with higher levels of anxiety, depression, & suicidality. This study aimed to assess the severity of symptoms in anxiety disorders & OCD and to investigate their relationship with self-esteem and suicidality.
Methods: Forty patients with anxiety disorders and, OCD and 40 matched controls were assessed by Beck's scale for suicidal ideations (BSSI) to determine the intensity of suicidal ideation, & Rosenberg's self-esteem scale (RSES). The severity of anxiety was assessed by Hamilton anxiety rating scale in the anxiety subgroup &Yale- Brown obsessive-compulsive scale was applied to the OCD subgroup to rate the severity of OCD symptoms.
Results: The mean scores of the BSSI were highest among the OCD subgroup, followed by the anxiety disorders subgroup, and lowest among the control group with a statistically significant difference (p=0.001). RSES mean scores were lowest in the anxiety subgroup followed by the OCD subgroup and highest in the control group, the difference between the mean scores of the studied groups was statistically significant (p=0.005). RSES mean scores were negatively correlated with BSSI mean scores, and the results were statistically significant (r =-0.7, p=0.001) i.e., the lower the self-esteem, the higher the suicidality.
Conclusions: Our research replicated findings from earlier studies that proposed the existence of an association between low self-esteem and anxiety disorders. Suicidality was highest among the OCD patients, followed by the anxiety disorders patients, and lowest among the healthy control. Self-esteem was low in the anxiety disorders patients even more than the OCD patients. Low self-esteem has been identified as one of the most crucial risk factors for suicidal ideations which entails further analysis & investigation.
Sports psychology. Sports excercise. Anxiety disorders. Obsessive-compulsive disorder. Selfesteem. Suicidal ideations
Self-esteem can be considered a sort of measure of how much a person values, appreciates, or likes him or herself (1). Its' level is related to positive feelings for oneself and the belief that one is valued by others (2). Self esteem trait was found to be positively linked with diverse adaptive positive outcomes (3). Self-esteem might serve as a protective feature, as a moderator, or simply a result of emotional well-being(4-8).
Low Self -esteem may be a hazard for multiple undesirable outcomes (9). It has been associated with a tendency to avoid people, increased levels of depression, and anxiety, & decreased quality of life (10). It was also associated with somatic complaints. While the existing research suggests that high esteem may have helpful consequences for the well-being and success of each individual (9))it has also been considered a key buffer against anxiety symptoms (11-13).
Indeed, the relationship between self-esteem and anxiety though has only rarely been studied (14). Cross-sectional research has reported correlations of medium to high statistical power between self-esteem and anxiety (4).
Wherever self-esteem is closely linked with anxiety symptoms (9). Anxiety as a trait in particular is constantly related to lower self-esteem (13,15). The effect of self-esteem on consequential anxiety turns out to be stronger than the effect of anxiety on self-esteem (16), demonstrating that the two are strongly correlated.
What's more low esteem is implied as an associated feature of social phobia (17) and many studies have provided evidence to support the link between social phobia and low self-esteem. This isn't surprising at all as at the core of both, social phobia and in the pursuit of self-esteem, lies the setting of goals that authenticate eash person's capabilities (18).
As for OCD, Fava et al. (19) stated that low esteem was one of several possible prodromal symptoms of the disorder, signifying that it may perhaps act as a general vulnerability dynamic for OCD. Ehntholt et al. (20) provided more evidence for this concept, reporting that patients with OCD differed considerably from non-clinical controls on generalized self-esteem measures and that self-esteem and OCD appeared to have a relation independent of the effect of mood. These findings can be discussed concerning current cognitive theories of OCD which feature the development of compulsions to the misappraisal of intrusive thoughts, leading to ineffective and faulty strategies to deal with the intrusions (21).
Suicidality is an alarming global public health problem, that occurs throughout the lifespan and was the fourth leading cause of death in 2019. More than 800,000 people die due to suicide every year. (22). Unfortunately, the relationship between anxiety disorders and suicide has received a humble amount of investigation. Anxiety disorders often co-occur with depression, and this may be masking a risk of suicidality related to anxiety in a specific manner. This higher likelihood of suicide and suicide-related behaviors were seen despite controlling for comorbid depression, stressing the importance of clinicians considering suicidal risk when working with anxiety patients who do not necessarily also have a comorbidity mood disorder. Research has accumulated over history demonstrating that anxiety disorders carry a uniquely high risk of suicide (23). The presence of current anxiety disorders, including panic disorder, social phobia, etc are all associated with higher suicide risk (24-26).
Patients with anxiety disorders demonstrated increased suicidal ideation and rates of self-harm and more frequent suicidal attempts than those without mental health issues (24, 27).
Yet, little is known about predictors of increased risk specifically amongst patients with anxiety (28). There are, however, stronger pieces of evidence that when an anxiety disorder is diagnosed with comorbid mental disorders the risk goes higher (24). For this reason, it is of fundamental importance to realize, investigate and manage the risk factors for suicide among individuals with anxiety disorders predominantly in patients with co-morbid with mental disorders.
The severity of symptoms is also related to suicidal risk in patients with anxiety disorders e.g. anxiety symptom severity is associated with increased suicidal ideation and attempts in patients with PTSD (29).
Suicide & suicide-related behaviors are actually underestimated in OCD patients & received less interest over the past period (30) However many current studies have revealed that OCD, is a risk factor for suicidality (31-34). A systematic review conducted by Albert et., al (35) reviewing sixty-three studies from 2018, included studies that examined factors linked with suicide risk in OCD to cautiously spot predictors of suicidality. Thirty-two studies provided numbers on the association between suicidality and socio- demographic & clinical variables (36-38). The most significant predictors of higher suicide risk were the severity of obsessions & compulsions (39,40), the symptom dimension of unacceptable thoughts (39,41), the presence of comorbid disorder , & a history of suicidality (34,42,43).
The analysis of data pooled from epidemiological studies and prospective cohort studies on nationwide registers confirms that patients with OCD are at higher risk of dying by suicide (44, 45), having a lifetime suicidal ideation (up to ten times that of the general population) and attempting suicide during their lifetime (10 folds more).
Moreover, a literature search in PubMed/Medline databases up to 2019, with sixty-one eligible studies found including OCD patients: investigating suicide attempts; current suicidal ideation, and lifetime suicidal ideation, concluded that one out of ten patients with OCD attempts suicide during his/her lifetime, about one third has current suicidal ideation and about 50% has had suicidal ideation (46).
The current research aims to measure the severity of symptoms in patients with anxiety disorders and OCD and to investigate their association with suicidality and self-esteem.
Study design: This study was a case-control (cross sectional) study. with a convenient sampling method.
A.Sample size:
The effect size estimated from an earlier study was 1.06, α = 0.05, & power = 0.95. The calculated sample size was forty subjects for each group studied. The sample size calculation was prepared using G*Power software edition 3.1.9.2.
B.Study site:
Participants were recruited from Kasr Alaini Psychiatry Hospital; Faculty of Medicine -Cairo University, from both the in-patient unit and outpatient clinics.
C. Informed Consent:
Informed written consent was taken from each participant after the elucidation of the aim and the details of this work. It was emphasized to the participants that participation in this study is voluntary and that it does not imply direct gain or harm to the participant. They were also told that they were free to depart this study at any time without giving any justification nor will the latter affect the medical service provided in case of patients. In addition, participants were informed that the results of this study could be used as a scientific publication, but their identity will be confidential.
The proposal was approved by the Scientific and Ethical Committee of the Department of Psychiatry of Kasr Al-Ainy. Then the Ethical Committee of Cairo University approved this research in January 2022. Methods were performed following the declaration of Helsinki (Registration number: MS-548-2021).
D. Study participants
Eighty subjects aged 20 to 45 fulfilling the required criteria were included in this research. They were divided into 2 groups.
First Group: Forty patients with an anxiety disorder (GAD, Social Anxiety Disorder, Panic Disorder, Specific Phobias) or OCD, meeting the criteria in DSM-5.
Inclusion criteria: Both sexes, Age: 20-45 years Currently meeting DSM-5 criteria for an anxiety disorder or obsessive-compulsive disorder
Exclusion criteria: Refusing to sign the written consent, Illiterate, clinically having an intellectual disability, or Having no internet access.
➢ Second Group: Control Group
Forty healthy individuals with no history of mental or psychiatric disorders were matched with the patients' groups for age, sex, education, and sociodemographic data. They were recruited from medical and paramedical personnel in Kasr Al Ainy hospitals.
The two groups were matched for age, sex, education, and socio-demographic data.
E. Statistical analysis:
Statistical analysis: The statistical data were treated using the statistical package of Social Sciences (IBM SPSS- 22) (47).
F. Procedure:
The patients were interviewed using Kasr Al-Ainy semi-structured psychiatric interview to confirm the diagnoses and exclude comorbidities. Sociodemographic variables and detailed clinical history were collected as well.
Diagnoses were established according to the DSM-5 criteria (17)
· After confirming the diagnoses, the following scales were applied
For the anxiety disorders subgroup (HAM-A, RSES & BSSI).
For the OCD subgroup (YBOC-S , RSES & BSSI).
The second group (control group) was assessed using GHQ-28 (48) in its Arabic version (49) to exclude psychiatric disorders.
· After excluding psychiatric morbidity in the control group, the following scales were applied:
For the control group (RSES and BSSI).
• The tools of assessment:
For the patients' group, the following tools were applied: The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) (50). The scale consists of 14 items designed to assess the severity of a patient's anxiety (51). The Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) (52): is a test to rate the severity of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms.
For Both Groups: the following tools were applied; Rosenberg self-esteem scale (RSES) (53) to measure global self-worth by measuring both positive and negative feelings about the self. The scale ranges from 0 to 30. A score greater than 25 suggests high self-esteem. A validated Arabic version was used (54). Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation (BSSI) (55) to measure the intensity, pervasiveness, and characteristics of suicidal ideation. It consists of 19 items, that evaluate three dimensions of suicide ideation: active suicidal intent, specific plans of suicide, and passive suicidal wish. Arabic version was used (56). The time required to finish the assessment for each patient ranged between 1.5-2 hours and for each healthy control between 1-1.5hours.
As illustrated in table 1, there was no statistically significant difference between the patient's group and the healthy control group regarding age (p=0.07). 37.5% (N=15) were males, and 62.5% (N=25) were females. In the anxiety disorders subgroup, 10%(N=2) were males, 90% (N=18) were females. In the OCD subgroup, 35%(N=7) were males and 65%(N=13) were females. There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding gender (p=0.077).
Table 1: Demographic data of the studied sample.
Age (years), M ± SD 26.40 ± 2.71 25.60 ± 4.49 25.80 ± 3.98 0.668
Gender, N(%) Male 15 (37.5%) 2 (10%) 7 (35%) 0.077
Female 25 (62.5%) 18 (90%) 13 (65%)
Marital Status, N(%) Single 33 (82.5%) 15 (75%) 16 (80%) 0.531
Married 7 (17.5%) 4 (20%) 4 (20%)
Divorced 0 (0.0%) 1 (5%) 0 (0.0%)
Employment, N(%) Unemployed 0 (0.0%) 2 (10%) 5 (25%) 0.024
Housewife 0 (0.0%) 1 (5%) 1 (5%)
Skilled 0 (0.0%) 2 (10%) 1 (5%)
Professional 23 (57.5%) 8 (40%) 8 (40%)
Student 17 (42.5%) 7 (35%) 5 (25%)
Education, N(%) Secondary School 0 (0.0%) 0 (0.0%) 2 (10%) 0.017
Diploma 0 (0.0%) 3 (15%) 2 (10%)
Higher Education 40 (100%) 17 (85%) 16 (80%)
Chi-square test:ρ<0.05 is significant. OCD: obsessive-compulsive disorder, M ±SD: mean ± Standard deviation, N: number
As for the marital status, in the healthy control group, 82.5% (N=33) were single, 17.5% (N=7) & were married. In the anxiety subgroup, 75% (N=15) were single, 20% (N=4) were married and 5% (N=1) were divorced. In the OCD subgroup, 80% (N=16) were single and 20% (N=4) were married. There was no statistically significant difference between the three groups regarding marital status (p= 0.531). As for, education & employment, all participants in the study were employed and educated. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the patient and the control group regarding employment (p=0.024) and education (p=0.017) respectively where participants in the healthy control group were more employed and educated than the patients' group (Table 1).
Table 2 shows that 50% of the patient's group were diagnosed with OCD (N=20), 15% were diagnosed with GAD (N=6), 12.5% were diagnosed with a social anxiety disorder (N=5), 2.5% got diagnosed with specific phobias (N=1). In the anxiety disorders subgroup, 20% of the patients (N=8) had another comorbid anxiety disorder (Table 2).
Table 2: Diagnoses included in the studied sample.
Diagnoses OCD N 0 20 20
social anxiety N 5 0 5
GAD N 6 0 6
specific phobia N 1 0 1
more than one diagnosis N 8 0 8
OCD: obsessive-compulsive disorder, GAD: Generalized anxiety Disorder
As for symptom severity, shown in table 3, in the anxiety disorders sub-group, the mean scores of the Hamilton anxiety rating scale (HAM-A) were (31.1±10) signifying moderate to severe anxiety symptoms in the anxiety subgroup in our study. In the OCD subgroup, the mean scores of the Y-BOCS scale were (21.65±9) showing moderate symptoms (Table 3).
Table 3: HAM-A mean scores in the anxiety disorders subgroup & Y-BOCS mean scores in the OCD subgroup.
Std. Deviation
HAMA-A Anxiety disorders 20 31.1 10.062 0.003
YBOCS OCD 20 21.65 9.085 0.383
OCD: obsessive-compulsive disorder, HAM-A: Hamilton anxiety rating scale, Y-BOCS: Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale, SD: standard deviation
HAM-A: Scores of 17 or less indicating mild anxiety. A score from 18-24 indicating mild to moderate anxiety. A score of 25-30 indicating moderate to severe anxiety.
Y-BOCS: Total scores range from 0-40, with a score of 0-7 indicates subclinical symptoms,8-15 indicates mild symptoms, 16-23 indicates moderate symptoms and 24-31 indicates severe symptoms while d 32-40 indicates extreme symptoms.
As shown in table 4, in the anxiety subgroup, the HAM-A mean scores were 36.5 ± .707 in males and 30.5 ±10.455 in females with a statistically significant difference (p=0.028)where males' mean scores of HAM-A were higher than females' mean scores (Table 4).
Table 4: Gender difference in the HAM-A and YBOCS mean scores in anxiety disorders and OCD subgroups.
HAM_A
(Anxiety subgroup) Male 2 36.500 .7071 0.028
Female 18 30.500 10.455
YBOCS
(OCD subgroup) Male 7 16.714 5.765
Female 13 24.307 9.603
ρ<0.05 is significant.
In the OCD subgroup, Y-BOCS mean scores were 16.714 ± 5.765 in males and 24.307 ± 9.603 in females with no significant statistical difference (p=0.073)
As shown in table 5, in the anxiety subgroup, the RSES mean scores were 16 ± 2.828 in males and 12.777 ±4.734 in females with no statistically significant difference (p=0.365). However, the BSSI mean scores of males were significantly lower than the BSSI mean scores of females in the same subgroup. (p=0.004) (Table 5).
Table 5: Gender difference in RSES and BSSI mean scores in anxiety disorders subgroup.
RSES Male 2 16.000 2.828 0.365
BSSI Male 2 .000 0.000 0.004
Female 18 6.166 7.853
RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale. A score greater than 25 suggests high selfesteem, while scores less than 15 suggest low self-esteem
BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation. The higher the total score, the greater the severity of suicidal ideation. A score of 6 or more has been considered as a cutoff threshold for clinically significant suicidal ideation
As shown in table 6, in the OCD subgroup, RSES mean scores were 16.714 ±4.608 in males and 12.384± 4.941 in females with no significant statistical difference (p=0.072) Also, the BSSI mean scores of males were 7.428 ± 7.590 and 8.153±8.101 with no significant statistical difference (p=0.848) (Table 6).
Table 6: Gender difference in RSES and BSSI mean scores in OCD subgroup.
BSSI Male 7 7.428 7.590 0.848
Figure 1 shows that Mean scores of RSES were significantly lower in the anxiety disorders subgroup than in the control group (p=0.010). RSES mean scores were lowest in the anxiety subgroup=13.1±4.63 followed by the OCD subgroup=13.9 ±5.51 and highest in the control group=17.1±4.77, the difference between the mean scores of the 3 groups was statistically significant (p= 0.005). Self-esteem was lowest among the anxiety disorder patients subgroup (Figure 1).
Figure 1. Mean scores of RSES across all groups (**p≤0.01).
Note: RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale, scores less than 15 suggest low self-esteem.
Figure 2 shows that Mean scores of BSSI were significantly highest in the OCD disorder subgroup (p<0.001) followed by the anxiety disorders subgroup (p= 0.001). The mean scores of the BSSI were highest among the OCD subgroup=7.9±7.7, followed by the anxiety disorders subgroup=5.55 ±7.67 and lowest among the control group=0.05 ±0.3, the difference between the mean scores of the 3 groups was statistically significant (p=0.001). The mean scores of BSSI were significantly higher in the OCD subgroup than in the anxiety disorders subgroup (p<0.001) (p= 0.001) respectively. Suicidal ideations severity was highest among the OCD patients subgroup (Figure 2).
Figure 2. Mean scores of BSSI across all groups (***p ≤ 0.001).
Note: BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation, BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation. The higher the total score, the greater the severity of suicidal ideation.
As illustrated in table (7), RSES mean scores were negatively correlated with BSSI mean scores, and the results were statistically significant (r =-0.7, p=0.001)
i.e., the lower the self-esteem, the higher the suicidality. Moreover, RSES mean scores were positively correlated with age however, the results were not statistically significant (p=0.115).
On the other hand, RSES mean scores were negatively correlated with HAM-A mean scores however the results were also not statistically significant (p=0.302) (Table 7).
Table 7: Correlations between mean scores of RSES, BSSI, HAM-A & age of patients in the anxiety disorders subgroup.
BSSI
HAM-A
RSES R 0.364 -0.702 -0.243
P 0.115 0.001* 0.302
RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale, BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation, HAM-A: Hamilton anxiety rating scale
As shown in table (8), BSSI mean scores, were negatively correlated with age, and the results were statistically significant (r=- 0.54, p=0.013). Results suggest that the younger the age the higher the suicidality. BSSI mean scores were positively correlated HAM-A mean scores however the results were not statistically significant (r =0.141, p=0.553) (suggest that the younger the age the higher the suicidality. BSSI mean scores were positively correlated HAM-A mean scores however the results were not statistically significant (r =0.141, p=0.553) (Table 8).
Table 8: Correlations between mean scores of BSSI, RSES, HAM-A & age of patients in the anxiety disorders subgroup.
RSES
BSSI R -0.543 -0.702 0.141
P 0.013 0.001 0.553
<0.05 is significant.
RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale, BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation, HAM-A: Hamilton anxiety rating scale.
In table 9, The Y-BOCS mean scores were positively correlated with BSSI mean scores, however, the results were not statistically significant (p=0.094). On the other hand, Y-BOCS mean scores were negatively correlated with the age of OCD patients and their RSES mean scores however the results were also not statistically significant (p=0.303, p=0.076) respectively (Table 9).).
In table 9, The Y-BOCS mean scores were positively correlated with BSSI mean scores, however, the results were not statistically significant (p=0.094).
On the other hand, Y-BOCS mean scores were negatively correlated with the age of OCD patients and their RSES mean scores however the results were also not statistically significant (p=0.303, p=0.076) respectively (Table 9).
Table 9: Correlation between mean scores of Y-BOCS and BSSI, RSES, and age of patients in the OCD patient's subgroup.
YBOCS R -0.242 -0.406 0.384
OCD: obsessive-compulsive disorder, RSES: Rosenberg self-esteem scale, BSSI: Beck scale for suicidal ideation, YBOCS: Yale brown obsessive compulsive scale
The present study aimed at measuring the symptom severity in patients with anxiety disorders and OCD and investigating their association with self-esteem and suicidality.
1. Discussion of descriptive data of the study sample
Regarding, education and employment, all participants in the study were employed and educated. However, there was a statistically significant difference between the patient and the control group regarding employment (p=0.024) and education (p=0.017) respectively where participants in the healthy control group were more employed and educated than the patients' group.
Our findings are in line with previous research that reports that OCD causes functional impairment, interference with daily lifestyle, and life satisfaction (57, 58). Our findings are also consistent with the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) study that established that OCD is frequently an impairing disorder, with 65.3% of cases reporting severe role impairment on the Sheehan Disability Scale (59).
Regarding gender difference in the anxiety subgroup, the Hamilton Anxiety mean scores were 36.5 ± .707 in males and 30.5 ±10.455 in females with a statistically significant difference (p=0.028) where males' mean scores of HAM-A were higher than females' mean scores.
Our findings on gender differences in anxiety levels are in contrast with recent research suggesting significantly higher levels of anxiety among women as compared to men (60)(61), however, this can be explained by the small number of males where only 2 males with anxiety disorder were enrolled in the current study though it was a convenient sample yet patients frequenting Kasr ALAiny hospital in the morning outpatient clinic are mostly females due to job scheduling conflicts with male patients who prefer evening clinics.
Discussion of comparative data between Group A (anxiety disorders and OCD) and Group B (healthy controls)
Regarding self-esteem
Mean scores of RSES were significantly lower in the anxiety disorders subgroup than in the control group (p=0.010). RSES mean scores were lowest in the anxiety subgroup=13.1±4.63 followed by the OCD subgroup=13.9 ±5.51 and highest in the control group=17.1±4.77, the difference between the mean scores of the 3 groups was statistically significant (p=0.005).
Self-esteem was lowest among the anxiety disorder patients subgroup. This finding is in order with a study conducted by Nguyen et al , in 2019(62) held amongst 1,149 secondary school students in Vietnam which reported an association between lower self-esteem and increased anxiety and suicidal ideation.
Moreover, the available research suggests that high self-esteem has been considered an important buffer against anxiety symptoms. On the other hand, low self-esteem was contributing to a higher anxiety risk (11-13).
Low self-esteem in patients with OCD has been a subject of matter of in other studies. A systematic review by Jaeger et al., (63) where results clarified a generally negative linear relationship between self-esteem and OCD symptoms.
The prior findings were consistent with our findings where the mean score of RSES in the OCD subgroup was 13.9 ±5.51 with a statistically significant difference from the healthy control group. In contrast to our study, Maldonado et al. (2013) research (64), illustrated no significant main effect of OCD vs anxiety disorders on self-esteem in an adolescent sample of patients.
Regarding suicidal Ideations
The mean scores of the BSSI scale were higher in the OCD ( 7.90 ± 7.73) and anxiety disorders (5.55 ± 7.66) than in the control group (0.05 ± 0.31) and were statistically significant (<0.001). In line with the studies on suicidology, a study investigated the prevalence and the correlates of current suicide risk in an adult sample of OCD patients, suicide risk was found to be highly correlated with the severity of OCD symptoms, especially when there is comorbid disorder (65). A systematic review by Luca et al., 2020 (66) also concluded that more than 1/10 patients with OCD attempt suicide during his/her lifetime, nearly half of all individuals with OCD have suicidal ideation and that the severity of obsessions is the main risk factor for suicide and suicidal behavior in OCD.
Our findings are again in order with a study conducted by Sehlo et al, 2021 (67) reported that 23.3% of the OCD subjects in the study had current suicidal ideations. Also similar to findings from other studies that reported up to 27% (68) increased possibility of current suicidal ideations in patients with OCD. Chaudhary et al. and Breet et al. also reported up to 52% of suicidal ideations among OCD patients despite using different measures for suicide assessment (33, 69).
Correlation between mean scores of RSES and BSSI in both subgroups
In the existing work, self-esteem was negatively correlated to anxiety. These findings replicated the correlation between anxiety and self-esteem and thus are consistent with recent research by Morley and Moran; Millings et al. (11, 12).
Moreover, we found a statistically significant positive correlation between the mean scores of BSSI and the RSES mean scores in both the anxiety (p=0.001) disorders and the OCD subgroup (p=0.004). These findings are supported by other studies that assessed the result of low self-esteem on mental well-being, as a result, low self-esteem has been identified as one of the most important risk factors for suicidal ideation (70, 71).
BSSI mean scores, were negatively correlated with age, and the results were statistically significant (r=- 0.54, p=0.013). Results suggest that the younger the age the higher the suicidality. However, this finding contradicts the results from a study conducted by Petkus et al. (72) that reported that older adults with anxiety disorders were more likely to endorse suicidal ideation compared with younger adults with these disorders. Yet this can be explained by the variability of diagnoses among the anxiety disorder subgroup, also 8/20 patients had more than one anxiety disorder that may carry a potentially higher risk for suicidal ideation.
Nonetheless, the current study has some limitations, including the relatively small sample size, which does not allow the generalization of results. Future studies with a larger population are indeed needed for patients with anxiety disorders and OCD. Moreover, the sample of the present study was a convenience sample of adults with anxiety disorders and OCD. Future studies with random sampling methods on other wider age groups and different cultural contexts are recommended. Another limitation is that the crosssectional study design which does not permit the detection of links between studied covariates; longitudinal studies on this topic are still required. Also, we did not assess other variables that may be associated with suicidal thoughts and ideations among patients with anxiety and OCD such as comorbid personality disorders, substance abuse, behavioral addictions, or other factors such as a history of childhood trauma, anhedonia, hopelessness, etc...(73)
Despite these limitations, to our knowledge, this study is one of the first few Egyptian studies that has evaluated symptom severity in anxiety disorders and OCD and investigated their relationship with self-esteem and suicidal ideation.
Our study replicated findings from earlier studies that proposed the presence of a relationship between low self-esteem and anxiety disorders. Suicidality was highest among the OCD patients, followed by the anxiety disorders patients, and lowest among the healthy control. Self-esteem was low in the anxiety disorders patients even more than the OCD patients. Low self-esteem has been identified as one of the most crucial risk factors for suicidal ideations which entails further analysis & investigation.
Future Implications: Clinicians should keenly inquire about suicidal thoughts, ideations, and previous attempts when interviewing a patient with OCD and anxiety disorders to prevent fatal consequences.
We would like to thank all the patients who shared in the research, for their valuable cooperation and precious time, without them, the study could not have been accomplished.
Authors' contributions statement:
SM, YD, AD, AY conceptualized the study, YD, AD, AY wrote the initial and final manuscripts. YD performed a systematic literature review and provided the theoretical basis for the study. SM, AY, and YD, AD provided insights that contributed to conceptualizing the study. AY performed the statistical study and wrote the methods and results of the initial manuscript. YD and AD interpreted the results and contributed to the discussion. All authors read and approved the final manuscript before submission.
It was all funded by the research team. The research received no funding grants.
Data and materials are available upon reasonable request.
The study was approved by the Ethics and Clinical Research Committee of the Psychiatry Department and the Faculty of Medicine, Cairo University, Egypt.
Written informed consent was obtained from each subject. The objectives and aims of the study were clarified to the subjects before the beginning of the study.
Oral consent from the study subjects was obtained for publication purposes.
All the authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.


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A number of Bulgarian startups have made their mark globally in recent years. Their potential was recognized by investors with an eye for talent and opportunity. Join that group of visionaries: support one of the hottest Bulgarian companies.
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The Bulgarian-based venture capital fund managers and private investors have been a driving force for improving the business environment in the region. They are main drivers for innovation, popularising the role of private investment as a reliable and sustainable source of funding for growing companies.
Eleven Ventures is an early stage investment fund based in Sofia. They started in 2012 as an acceleration and seed program and invested €12m in 115 start-ups over three years. Initially they invested in many very early stage, pre-product start-ups, but gradually they started supporting more mature companies that have already built a product and are looking to scale. Learn more
LAUNCHub Ventures is an early stage VC Fund, based in Sofia and investing in digital start-ups in the wider Southeastern Europe region. With €30m under total management LAUNCHub Ventures focuses on the seed space with investment ticket size in the range of €300K to 700K, expandable up to €1,5m per company. Learn more
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Last-century vegetational changes in northern Europe. Characterisation, causes, and consequences
Kapfer, Jutta
In the face of recent changes in environmental conditions and climate, longterm studies provide important insights into patterns and processes of vegetational change. In northern Europe, however, long-term studies are rare for many ecosystems. This thesis uses a new approach that uses historical phytosociological data-sets to study changes in the vegetation of alpine, mire, and arctic habitats and regions across northern Europe over the past decades. Because plot relocation due to the use of non-permanent plots may bias the detection of change, the thesis investigates if observed changes are larger than what is expected by chance. Furthermore, to find out if observed changes in vegetation are consistent between different habitats and regions in northern Europe, a meta-analysis of 15 data sets from arctic, alpine, and mire sites is presented. The results of the resurvey conducted in alpine Sikkilsdal, Central Norway, show that most species have shifted their distributional range upwards along the elevational gradient since the first sampling in the 1920s. These upward shifts were found to be independent of whether upper, lower, or optimum elevation were considered. As the largest shifts were found for species growing in snow-bed habitats, the results suggest climate warming and alterations in snow-cover duration to be important drivers of the observed range shifts. In the Åkhult mire (South Sweden), changes over a period of 54 years were found predominantly for species of dwarf-shrubs and trees, whereas several typical mire species have decreased or disappeared from the study site. Drier mire surface and higher nutrient availability due to a warmer climate are identified as the most plausible drivers explaining the observed turnover in species composition. On Jan Mayen Island, similar changes in vegetation were found during time periods of 19 and 80 years. Over both time-scales, graminoid and woody species were found to have increased, whereas several snow-bed related species have decreased. However, whereas the main trend is similar over both time-scales considered, discrepancies in the trends of some species suggest that long-term changes are only partly predictable from short-term studies. The results of the meta-analysis show that the arrangement between species has changed more than is expected by chance, indicating that nonrandom changes have occurred in the studied arctic, alpine, and mire habitats during the past century. Vegetation stability was found to vary sitespecifically. Observed patterns could not be explained by different factors, such as time-scale, plot number, species diversity, or productivity. The thesis shows that non-random vegetational changes have occurred independent of which habitat or site is considered. As the observed changes in vegetation are in line with several other studies on vegetational dynamics focusing at different temporal and spatial scales and using permanent plots, this thesis demonstrates that historical phytosociological data-sets may successfully be used in the way presented here. These results unlock a valuable archive to identify recent vegetational changes in relation to environmental change. Moreover, observations of increased growth of woody plants and graminoids, upward shifts in species ranges, and decreases in species mostly associated with wetter habitats indicate trends in vegetation towards more competitive and nutrient-demanding species. With regard to predicted changes in climate, further changes may be assumed, the effects of which are likely to be most pronounced in areas where species are adapted to low temperatures and low nutrient availability, such as in high mountain areas, raised bogs, and in the Arctic.
Paper I: Felde V. A., Kapfer J., and Grytnes J.-A. Upward shift in elevational plant species ranges in Sikkilsdalen, central Norway. The article is available at: http://hdl.handle.net/1956/5185
Paper II: Kapfer J., Grytnes J.-A., Gunnarsson U., and Birks H. J. B. (2011) Finescale changes in vegetation composition in a boreal mire over 50 years. Journal of Ecology 99(5): 1179-1189, Mai 2011. Full text not available in BORA due to publisher restrictions. The article is available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2745.2011.01847.x
Paper III: Kapfer J., Virtanen R., and Grytnes J.-A. Changes in arctic vegetation composition on Jan Mayen Island – a comparison of two time scales. Full text not available in BORA.
Paper IV: Kapfer J., Birks H. J. B., Felde V. A., Klanderud, K., Martinessen T., Schei F. H., Virtanen R., and Grytnes J.-A. Using species co-occurrences to quantify vegetation stability. Full text not available in BORA.


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