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Set against the background of the call for sustainable development, a fostering of sense of place emerged as one of education for sustainability's chief goals. Heidegger's concept of "dwelling thinking" guided us, in this research, to look beyond the emotional and cognitive attachment to a place toward a state of mind which is not limited to a specific place but can also be taken with the dweller wherever he or she goes. A qualitative tool based on analysis of children's drawings was developed for characterizing dwelling thinking in desert towns' children aged 9-10. The results clarified different forms of sense of place and pointed to practical methodologies for the enhancement of dwelling thinking in our quest for sustainability. (Contains 2 tables and 2 figures.)

The poem about the fall of the king of Babylon (Isaiah 14) follows the classical structure of biblical qinot, or laments. It starts with the locution איד ('How?' v. 4b); its verses display a typical qina meter (3/2); and the climactic verse, which generally expresses the most painful lamentation, is positioned at about the middle of the poem.1 This song, however, is recorded in the book of Isaiah not as a qina but rather as a māšāl (v. 4: ןנש את המשל ×”×–×”, 'you will raise this taunt'), referring to the final deliverance of Israel (v. 3). This suggests that, beyond the 'elegy' about the death of a specific Babylonian tyrant, this song encompasses a larger dimension of meaning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The Dead Sea region, the lowest in the world at 410 meters below sea level, is considered a potent climatotherapy center for the treatment of different chronic diseases. Objective: To assess the prevalence of chronic diseases and the quality of life of residents of the Dead Sea region compared with residents of the Ramat Negev region, which has a similar climate, but is situated 600 meters above sea level. Methods: An observational study based on a self-administered questionnaire. Data were collected from kibbutz (communal settlement) members in both regions. Residents of the Dead Sea were the study group and of Ramat Negev were the control group. We compared demographic characteristics, the prevalence of different chronic diseases and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) using the SF-36 questionnaire. Results: There was a higher prevalence of skin nevi and non-inflammatory rheumatic diseases (NIRD) among Dead Sea residents, but they had significantly higher HRQOL mean scores in general health (68.7 ± 21 vs. 64.4 ± 22, p = 0.023) and vitality (64.7 ± 17.9 vs. 59.6 ± 17.3, p = 0.001), as well as significantly higher summary scores: physical component score (80.7 ± 18.2 vs. 78 ± 18.6, p = 0.042), and mental component score (79 ± 16.4 vs. 77.2 ± 15, p = 0.02). These results did not change after adjusting for social-demographic characteristics, health-related habits, and chronic diseases. Conclusions: No significant difference between the groups was found in the prevalence of most chronic diseases, except for higher rates of skin nevi and NIRD among Dead Sea residents. HRQOL was significantly higher among Dead Sea residents, both healthy or with chronic disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Opti-Money is a decision-support system for allocating assets that was developed at Bank Hapoalim, Israel's largest bank. Based on customer-and market-specific inputs, we solve a modified Markowitz-type nonlinear programming problem to produce optimal tailor-made investment portfolios in terms of asset classes. In its five years of operation, this mature system has provided excellent quantifiable results for the bank and its customers. In 2002, we held some 133,000 consultation sessions with 63,000 customers in which we used Opti-Money. Apart from the considerable prestige the system gained through its track record and uniqueness in the Israeli banking sector, it obtained net income 88 percent higher in customer accounts that used Opti-Money than in those that did not. The annual earnings over and above benchmarks to customers who follow the investment advice provided by the system total US$244 million. In 2002, the annual income for the bank directly attributed to Opti-Money exceeded US$31 million. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate whether therapeutic intravascular ultrasound pulmonary artery denervation (PDN) is safe and reduces pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) on a minimum of dual oral therapy., Background: Early studies have suggested that PDN can reduce PVR in patients with PAH., Methods: TROPHY1 (Treatment of Pulmonary Hypertension 1) was a multicenter, international, open-label trial undertaken at 8 specialist centers. Patients 18 to 75 years of age with PAH were eligible if taking dual oral or triple nonparenteral therapy and not responsive to acute vasodilator testing. Eligible patients underwent PDN (TIVUS System). The primary safety endpoint was procedure-related adverse events at 30 days. Secondary endpoints included procedure-related adverse events, disease worsening and death to 12 months, and efficacy endpoints that included change in pulmonary hemodynamic status, 6-min walk distance, and quality of life from baseline to 4 or 6 months. Patients were to remain on disease-specific medication for the duration of the study., Results: Twenty-three patients underwent PDN, with no procedure-related serious adverse events reported. The reduction in PVR at 4- or 6-month follow-up was 94 ± 151 dyn·s·cm -5 (p = 0.001) or 17.8%, which was associated with a 42 ± 63 m (p = 0.02) increase in 6-min walk distance and a 671 ± 1,555 step (p = 0.04) increase in daily activity., Conclusions: In this multicenter early feasibility study, PDN with an intravascular ultrasound catheter was performed without procedure-related adverse events and was associated with a reduction in PVR and increases in 6-min walk distance and daily activity in patients with PAH on background dual or triple therapy., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Background: Silicosis is an occupational lung disease resulting from inhalation of respirable crystalline silica. Recently, an international silicosis epidemic has been noted among artificial stone workers., Objective: Endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) is currently used for patients with unexplained lymphadenopathy. Since silicosis may present with prominent lymphadenopathy, the diagnostic yield of EBUS-TBNA in diagnosing silicosis was evaluated., Methods: Twenty-eight patients with suspected silicosis referred for outpatient evaluation in three large tertiary hospitals were evaluated. Patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy underwent EBUS-TBNA, while others underwent TBB and/or video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS)., Results: Eleven patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy (39%) were evaluated using EBUS-TBNA. The diagnosis was accurate in all cases, demonstrating silica particles under polarized light, with no complications. Among the remaining patients, TBB was only 76% diagnostic, therefore requiring VATS., Conclusions: EBUS-TBNA is a useful and sufficient tool to diagnose silicosis in patients with mediastinal lymphadenopathy along compatible exposure histories.

Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterized by progressive exertional and resting dyspnea and is associated with major co-morbidities. Hemoglobin level disorders (anemia and polycythemia) prevalence among patients and the relationship between them and the clinical expression are still not characterized unequivocally. The main purpose of this work is to test the association between anemia and hospitalizations. The presence of such a link may promote the diagnosis and treatment aimed at the patient's hemoglobin levels., Hypothesis: Anemia in patients with COPD is associated with an increased number of hospitalizations., Methods: A retrospective cohort study analysis, conducted on a group of COPD patients (n = 333) followed in the Pulmonology Institute of the Soroka University Medical Center in the years 2003-2009. Demographic physiological and clinical characteristics were compared between anemic, polycythemic and normal hemoglobin patients. Using statistical models, we examined the relationship between the presence of anemia and clinical outcome., Results: Anemia was found in 79 patients (24%) and polycythemia among seven patients (2%). No difference was found between the groups in terms of number of hospitalizations, number of hospitalization days and ventilator events. There was a higher rate of co-morbidities (such as heart failure, chronic kidney disease) among anemic patients. There were also lower values of BMI and lung function and a higher proportion of men among anemic patients., Conclusions: Anemia in patients with COPD was not associated with an increase in the number of severe exacerbations. More studies are needed to clarify the threshold of a hemoglobin level below which there is an increase in the rate of hospitalizations.

Background: Balneotherapy, traditionally administered during a continuous stay at the Dead Sea area, has been shown to be effective for patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis., Objectives: To evaluate the effectiveness of an intermittent regimen of balneotherapy at the Dead Sea for patients with knee osteoarthritis., Methods: Forty-four patients with knee osteoarthritis were included in a prospective randomized single-blind controlled study. The patients were divided into two groups: a treatment group (n=24), which were treated twice weekly for 6 consecutive weeks in a sulfur pool heated to 35-36 degrees C, and a control group (n=20) treated in a Jacuzzi filled with tap water heated to 35-36 degrees C. Participants were assessed by the Lequesne index of osteoarthritis severity, the WOMAC index, the SF-36 quality of health questionnaire, VAS scales for pain (completed by patients and physicians), and physical examination., Results: A statistically significant improvement, lasting up to 6 months, was observed in the treatment group for most of the clinical parameters. In the control group the only improvements were in the SF-36 bodily pain scale at 6 months, the Lequesne index at 1 month and the WOMAC pain score at the end of the treatment period. Although the patients in the control group had milder disease, the difference between the two groups was not statistically significant., Conclusions: Intermittent balneotherapy appears to be effective for patients with knee osteoarthritis.