bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Management strategies for aligning higher education accommodation with the user needs
Authors: Beckers Ronald , Voordt Dorotheus van der , Dewulf Geert
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– This paper aims to explore the management strategies of facility managers and corporate real estate managers to align corporate real estate (CRE) with the needs of their organization and the end users in a changing context.

Design/methodology/approach

– The paper first outlines the theoretical issues of CRE alignment processes and the management of accommodation needs. It then presents the findings from a multiple case study in 14 Dutch Universities of Applied Sciences (UAS) from the perspective of the CRE/facility management (FM) manager. The empirical study is based on interviews and a questionnaire.

Findings

– The theory shows three key process activities in managing the alignment of CRE with the needs of end users and the organization as a whole: coordination, communication and decision-making. The way organizations manage these process activities can be represented by eight opposite perspectives. These eight perspectives refer to two management strategies for CREM departments: an involvement-oriented strategy and a control-oriented strategy.

Practical implications

– The distinguished eight management perspectives and two management strategies can be used by CRE/FM managers to reconsider their current approach for aligning CRE with the needs and requirements of the client, customers and end users. This is to improve the match between demand and supply to find future-proof accommodation solutions.

Originality/value

– CREM issues and the effect of CRE on students and staff and vice versa is an underexposed topic in research in the field of higher education. There is still limited understanding of how to optimally align school buildings with education. The current study combines insights from other disciplines such as management and organization and information technology-alignment with insights from CREM theory.
How professional identity shapes youth healthcare
Authors: Dadich Ann , Jarrett Carmen , Robards Fiona , Bennett David
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The primary care sector is experiencing considerable change. How change and uncertainty are accommodated by the professional identity of medicine has not been examined. The purpose of this paper is to address the youth healthcare as an exemplar as this field is often a source of uncertainty for general practitioners (GPs).

Design/methodology/approach

– Using heterogeneity sampling, 22 GPs participated in focus groups to explore perceptions of youth healthcare, factors that help and hinder it, and training needs. Analysis of the research material was guided by a theoretical model on professional identity.

Findings

– GPs described tensions that challenged their professional identity – the challenges of working with young people and their complex issues, the extent to which youth healthcare sits within the purview of general practice, and the scope of training required. These tensions appeared to destabilise professional identity. Some participants had customised their identity by enriching understandings of and approach to general practice. Participants also reported work customisation as a way of managing the complex demands of the general practice role. Deepened insight appeared to bolster perceived capacity to support a complex patient cohort.

Research limitations/implications

– Participants are not representative of the primary care sector – furthermore, the methodology limits the generalisability of the findings.

Practical implications

– To bolster youth health, mere clinician training is insufficient. Youth health requires explicit support from governments and training providers to be incorporated into the healthcare landscape.

Originality/value

– This study extends current research on professional identity by examining youth healthcare within the changing context of primary care.
2‐Chloroacetamidine, a novel immunomodulator, suppresses antigen‐induced mouse airway inflammation
Authors: Maezawa Y. , Paltser G. , Tsui H. , Cheung R. , Wu P. , Nicholas A. P. , Dosch H.‐M.
Published: May 2015

Background

Citrullination is a presently under‐recognized posttranslational protein modification catalyzed by PAD enzymes. Immune responses to citrullinated neo‐epitopes are identified in a growing number of inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the involvement of hypercitrullination in the pathogenesis of bronchial asthma is still unknown.

Methods

As main experimental tool, we examined the effect of 2‐chloroacetamidine (2CA), a PAD enzyme inhibitor, on OVA‐immunized and airway‐challenged BALB/c mice; a commonly used model of allergic airway inflammation. We also measured the effect of 2CA on ex vivo lymphocytes and cell lines.

Results

In vivo, 2CA dramatically suppressed lung tissue hypercitrullination, inflammatory cell recruitment, and airway‐Th2 cytokine secretion. 2CA also suppressed systemic OVA‐specific and total IgE production dramatically, effectively preventing de novo and diminishing established disease without measurably impacting general immunocompetence. In vitro, 2CA markedly inhibited the proliferation of mouse and human T cells with cell cycle block and apoptosis during a limited, postactivation phase.

Conclusions

2CA acts as narrow‐spectrum immunosuppressant that selectively targets lymphocyte populations involved in active inflammatory tissue lesions. If hypercitrullination is generated in patients with asthma, 2CA may represent a novel disease modulator for human asthmatics/allergic diseases.
Circulating memory B cells are reduced in patients with late‐onset myasthenia gravis
Authors: Kubota Akihiro , Izaki Shoko , Fukaura Hikoaki , Nomura Kyoichi
Published: May 2015

Objective

Myasthenia gravis (MG) is an autoimmune disorder of unknown cause where neural transmission is blocked at the neuromuscular junction. Although it has been shown that patients with MG show various differences in clinical characteristics depending on the age of onset, differences in pathology remain unclear.

Methods

In the present study, we divided patients with MG into a late‐onset group (n = 26) and an early‐onset group (n = 29), and measured T and B lymphocyte subsets using surface markers.

Results

When T lymphocyte subsets and B lymphocyte subsets (transitional B cells, naïve B cells, memory B cells and plasmablasts) were examined, it was found that the percentage of memory B cells was significantly lower in the late‐onset group relative to age‐matched healthy controls. However, no significant difference was seen between the early‐onset group and healthy controls. When the percentage of memory B cells was compared between the late‐onset group and the early‐onset group, it was found to be significantly lower in the late‐onset group. A decrease in circulating memory B cells in patients with late‐onset MG was also seen when circulating memory B cells were activated, and proceeded to penetrate and embed in tissue in the lymph nodes and the thymus. It appears that memory B cells that have penetrated and embedded in tissue begin producing autoantibodies after they differentiate from plasmablasts into plasma cells.

Conclusions

A reduced percentage of memory B cells appears to be a characteristic of late‐onset MG observed in circulating T and B lymphocyte subsets.
In vitro screening of biocontrol and biodegradation potential of selected hymenomycetes against Ganoderma boninense and infected oil palm waste
Authors: Naidu Y. , Idris A. S. , Nusaibah S. A. , Norman K. , Siddiqui Y.
Published: May 2015

The antagonistic and enzymatic activities of non‐pathogenic hymenomycetes naturally occurring on oil palm (Elaeis guineensis) trunks were assessed to determine their potential as biocontrol agents against G. boninense. Twenty‐five Basidiomycota were isolated on a Ganoderma‐selective medium and identified using internal transcribed spacer (ITS) sequencing. The three fungi with potentially higher antagonistic activity against G. boninense, based on the percentage inhibition of radial mycelial growth (PIRG) in dual culture, were Pycnoporus sanguineus (84%), Trametes lactinea (82%) and Grammothele fuligo (81%). In addition to these three isolates, Lentinus tigrinus and a Rigidoporus sp. were also able to invade sterilized oil palm blocks previously colonized by G. boninense despite having lower PIRG values. Colonization of oil palm blocks by G. fuligo, P. sanguineus, Rigidoporus sp., T. lactinea and L. tigrinus resulted in mass losses of 32.50, 30.78, 27.64, 25.20 and 19.33%, respectively, probably due to an ability to produce one or more lignocellulolytic enzyme. Further work is needed to determine the enzymatic degradation potential of these fungi under natural conditions and their possible use in the prevention of colonization of oil palm by G. boninense.
Variation in pathogenicity among the three subspecies ofPhytophthora alnion detached leaves, twigs and branches ofAlnus glutinosa
Authors: Haque M. M. U. , Martín‐García J. , Diez J. J.
Published: May 2015

Pathogenicity tests were carried out on leaves, twigs and branches ofAlnus glutinosausing several isolates ofPhytophthora alnissp.alni,P. alnissp.multiformisandP. alnissp.uniformis in vitro. Healthy fresh leaves were collected from disease‐free areas and inoculated with mycelium on agar discs or by dipping in zoospore suspensions. In addition, twigs and branches were collected from both disease‐free and disease‐affected areas, inoculated with mycelium on agar discs and incubated at four temperatures (15, 20, 25, 30°C). All subspecies tested were pathogenic but with varied level of virulence. In inoculation tests on foliage, wounding was a key factor in causing infections: lesions on inoculated wounded leaves were larger than on non‐wounded leaves. In the twig and branch inoculation tests, no differences in virulence were observed among theP. alnisubspecies in terms of sampling locations, but lesions differed in size according to incubation temperature, with the largest lesions occurring on tissues incubated at 25°C. The work is the first to report foliar necrosis caused byP. alnionA. glutinosa.P. alnissp.uniformiswas the least virulent of the subspecies in branch inoculations. These findings demonstrate that various tissues ofA. glutinosacould act as sources of pathogen inoculum and may disseminate alderPhytophthorain natural ecosystems.
Current use of active surveillance for localized prostate cancer: A nationwide survey in Japan
Authors: Mitsuzuka Koji , Koga Hirofumi , Sugimoto Mikio , Arai Yoichi , Ohyama Chikara , Kakehi Yoshiyuki , Naito Seiji
Published: May 2015

Objective

To understand the current practice pattern of active surveillance using a nationwide survey among Japanese urologists.

Methods

A new questionnaire about active surveillance was developed and mailed to 863 training institutes in January 2014. The questionnaire included indications for active surveillance, percentage of active surveillance for localized prostate cancer, problems with active surveillance, which protocol was used, timing of first repeat biopsy, use of prostate‐specific antigen or doubling time and use of magnetic resonance imaging.

Results

A total of 2133 Japanese urologists in the 632 training institutes answered the questionnaire. The median age was 42 years (26–84 years). Of the responders, 26.9% had no use of active surveillance for localized prostate cancer. The Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance criteria were most frequently used (29.7%), followed by a low‐risk group without a definitive follow‐up protocol (29.4%). Regarding repeat biopsy, 40.6% carried it out at 1 year after active surveillance initiation, but 24.1% did not usually carry it out and 31.8% carried it out only when they considered it necessary. Magnetic resonance imaging was used routinely in 22.2% and as required in 67.6%. Re‐biopsy or magnetic resonance imaging was less carried out in general hospitals than in universities. The percentage of no usual repeat biopsy was significantly higher in urologists who had more than 10 years of experience. Repeat biopsies (60.3%), inadequate inclusion criteria (49.9%), psychological burden for patients (43.7%), unexpected progression (41.1%) and unknown long‐term outcomes (40.6%) were considered the major problems of active surveillance in the responders.

Conclusions

The practice pattern of active surveillance varies widely among Japanese urologists. It is necessary to gain a correct understanding of active surveillance.
A proteomic approach to obesity and type 2 diabetes
Authors: López‐Villar Elena , Martos‐Moreno Gabriel Á. , Chowen Julie A. , Okada Shigeru , Kopchick John J. , Argente Jesús
Published: May 2015

The incidence of obesity and type diabetes 2 has increased dramatically resulting in an increased interest in its biomedical relevance. However, the mechanisms that trigger the development of diabetes type 2 in obese patients remain largely unknown. Scientific, clinical and pharmaceutical communities are dedicating vast resources to unravel this issue by applying different omics tools. During the last decade, the advances in proteomic approaches and the Human Proteome Organization have opened and are opening a new door that may be helpful in the identification of patients at risk and to improve current therapies. Here, we briefly review some of the advances in our understanding of type 2 diabetes that have occurred through the application of proteomics. We also review, in detail, the current improvements in proteomic methodologies and new strategies that could be employed to further advance our understanding of this pathology. By applying these new proteomic advances, novel therapeutic and/or diagnostic protein targets will be discovered in the obesity/Type 2 diabetes area.
Structural positioning of nurse leaders and empowerment
Authors: Hughes Kerri‐ann , Carryer Jennifer Barbara , White Jill
Published: May 2015

Aims and Objectives

To analyse the reporting structures of nursing leaders of publicly funded hospitals and seek both the views of nurse leaders and Chief Executive Officers/Chief Operating Officers on the structural positioning of nurse leaders in the organisation.

Background

Concern that the continuing restructuring within hospital structures and focus on economic outputs in health services is diminishing the value of nursing leadership.

Design

Qualitative surveys with Nursing leaders and Chief Executive Officers of public hospitals.

Methods

Seventeen Directors of Nursing and 10 Chief Executive Officer/Chief Operating Officers’ responses were received using two semi‐structured questionnaires. Themes were developed from data coded and analysed by hand.

Results

Four broad themes emerged from analysis of the data: (1) variable positional reporting between Director of Nursing and Chief Executive Officers occurred; (2) variable levels of inclusion and influence at the executive decision‐making level; (3) ambiguous financial responsibilities and accountabilities held by Director of Nursing; and (4) blurred lines existed between operational and professional reporting lines. Findings unique to the research indicate that the varying levels of visibility and inclusion impact on the structural positioning of nurse leaders which influences authority and empowerment.

Conclusion

Responses from the data analysis indicate that the structural power of nurse leaders defined by the factors of opportunity, power and proportion were hindered by dual accountability reporting lines and a lack of financial control.

Relevance to clinical practice

The structural positioning of nurse leaders is vital to ensure that they are empowered and able to meet the adaptations required in a changing environment that supports the delivery of effective, quality healthcare.
The Human Right to Food as Political Imaginary
Authors: López José Julián
Published: May 2015

The overwhelmingly normative nature of the study of Economic, Social, and Cultural (ESC) human rights enablesESCrights to function in their default settings as taken for granted norms and principles, originating in international agreements. This paper, instead, probes the social and historical “thingness” ofESChuman rights themselves. It analyses the emergence of the Human Right to Food (HRF), and proposes a sociological model, political imaginary, as an explanatory tool to identify the historical socio‐discursive conditions of the emergence of theHRF. It uses this model to understand FoodFirst Internal Action Network (FIAN)'s contributions to the development of theHRF.
Oral perception of liquid volume changes with age
Authors: Kamarunas E. , McCullough G. H. , Mennemeier M. , Munn T.
Published: May 2015

Bolus volume has been widely studied, and research has demonstrated a variety of physiological impacts on swallowing and swallowing disorders. Oral perception of bolus volume has not, to our knowledge, been investigated in association with normal ageing processes. Research suggests many sensory changes with age, some within the oral cavity, and changes in swallowing function with age have been defined. The role of perception in oropharyngeal deglutition with age requires further investigation. The purpose of this study was to establish the psychophysical relationship between liquid volume and oral perception and examine changes with age. Healthy young and older adults were prospectively assessed using a magnitude estimation task differentiating five volumes of water delivered randomly to the oral cavity. Results suggest a fourfold increase in liquid volume is required by older participants to perceive an approximate twofold increase in the perception of volume compared with younger healthy adults. Sensory receptors in the oral cavity provide a feedback loop that modulates the swallowing motor response so that it is optimal for the size and consistency of the bolus. Changes in perception of bolus volume with age are consistent with other perceptual changes and may provide valuable information regarding sensorineural rehabilitation strategies in the future.
Interactive regulation by the Bacillus subtilis global regulators CodY and ScoC
Authors: Belitsky Boris R. , Barbieri Giulia , Albertini Alessandra M. , Ferrari Eugenio , Strauch Mark A. , Sonenshein Abraham L.
Published: May 2015

CodY and ScoC are Bacillus subtilis transcriptional regulators that control the expression of dozens of genes and operons. Using scoC–lacZ fusions and DNA‐binding experiments, we show here that scoC is directly repressed by CodY. This effect creates multiple forms of cascade regulation. For instance, expression of the dtpT gene, which is directly and negatively controlled by ScoC and encodes a putative oligopeptide permease, was activated indirectly by CodY due to CodY‐mediated repression of scoC. The opp operon, which encodes an oligopeptide permease that is essential for sporulation and genetic competence development, proved to be a direct target of repression by both ScoC and CodY but was not significantly affected in codY or scoC single mutants. The combined actions of CodY and ScoC maintain opp repression when either one of the regulators loses activity but limit the level of repression to that provided by one of the regulators acting alone. Under conditions of nitrogen limitation, repression by ScoC of dtpT and opp was partly prevented by TnrA. Thus, the functioning of ScoC is determined by other transcription factors via modulation of its expression or DNA binding.
Dendritic Cells Transfected with a DNA Construct Encoding Tumour‐associated Antigen Epitopes Induce a Cytotoxic Immune Response Against Autologous Tumour Cells in a Culture of Mononuclear Cells from Colorectal Cancer Patients
Authors: Kulikova E. V. , Kurilin V. V. , Shevchenko J. A. , Obleukhova I. A. , Khrapov E. A. , Boyarskikh U. A. , Filipenko M. L. , Shorokhov R. V. , Yakushenko V. K. , Sokolov A. V. , Sennikov S. V.
Published: May 2015

Significant effort has been devoted to developing effective cancer vaccines based on dendritic cells (DCs) loaded with various tumour antigens, including DNA constructs that carry sequences of tumour‐associated antigens (TAAs). Such vaccines efficiently and selectively activate the T cell immune response. In this study, we describe a method to induce an antitumour immune response in mononuclear cell (MNC) cultures from colorectal cancer patients using DNA‐transfected DCs encoding TAA epitopes of carcinoembryonic antigen, epithelial cell adhesion molecule and mucin 4. DCs were obtained from peripheral blood monocytes of colorectal cancer patients. Magnetic‐assisted transfection was used to deliver the genetic constructs to DCs. To assess the potency of the immune response, the antitumour cytotoxic response was assessed by lymphocyte intracellular perforin and the MNC cytotoxic activity against autologous tumour cells. We showed that polyepitope DNA‐transfected DCs enhanced MNC antitumour activity, increasing tumour cell death and the percentage of perforin‐positive lymphocytes. In addition, DNA‐transfected DCs elicited a cytotoxic response that was as efficient as that of tumour lysate‐loaded DCs. Taken together, the data suggest that it is feasible to induce an antitumour immune response in colorectal MNCs using transfected DCs. Thus, the DNA construct reported in this study may potentially be used in therapeutic and prophylactic DC‐based vaccines.
Stimulation of cutaneous wound healing by an FPR2‐specific peptide agonist WKYMVm
Authors: Kwon Yang Woo , Heo Soon Chul , Jang Il Ho , Jeong Geun Ok , Yoon Jung Won , Mun Je‐Ho , Kim Jae Ho
Published: May 2015

Diabetes is one of the most common human diseases and 15% of the 200 million diabetics worldwide suffer from diabetic wounds. Development of new therapeutic agents is needed for treatment of diabetic wounds. Wound healing is mediated by multiple steps, including inflammation, epithelialization, neoangiogenesis, and granulation. Formyl peptide receptor 2 has been known to stimulate angiogenesis, which is essential for tissue repair and cutaneous wound healing. In this study, we explored the therapeutic effects of WKYMVm (Trp‐Lys‐Tyr‐Met‐Val‐D‐Met‐NH2), a synthetic peptide agonist of formyl peptide receptor 2, on cutaneous wounds in streptozotocin‐induced diabetic rats. Topical application of WKYMVm onto cutaneous wounds stimulated formation of von Willebrand factor‐positive capillary and α‐smooth muscle actin‐positive arteriole with a maximal stimulation on day 6, suggesting WKYMVm‐stimulated angiogenesis. Infiltration of immune cells could be detected on early phase during wound healing and WKYMVm treatment acutely augmented infiltration of CD68‐positive macrophages. In addition, reepithelialization and granulation tissue formation were accelerated by treatment with WKYMVm. These results suggest that WKYMVm has therapeutic effects on diabetic wounds by stimulating angiogenesis and infiltration of immune cells.
KNOWLEDGE, VALUES, AND BELIEFS IN THE SOUTH AFRICAN CONTEXT SINCE 1948: AN OVERVIEW
Authors: Conradie Ernst M. , du Toit Cornel W.
Published: May 2015

In this contribution, an overview of the distinct ways in which the interplay between knowledge, values, and beliefs took shape in the South African context since 1948 is offered. This is framed against the background of the paleontological significance of South Africa and an appreciation of indigenous knowledge systems, but also of the ideological distortion of knowledge and education during the apartheid era through the legacy of neo‐Calvinism. The overview includes references to discourse on human rationality (as an implicit critique against ideology), on the use of social sciences in theological reflection, on the teaching of evolution in public schools, on science and religion, and on religion and ecology. The essay concludes with a survey of some of the major voices regarding the interface between religion and science in South Africa.
THE “GHOSTS” OF IRAS PAST AND THE CHANGING CULTURAL CONTEXT OF RELIGION AND SCIENCE
Authors: Peters Karl E.
Published: May 2015

Beginning with our cosmic ancestors and the 1950s ancestors of Institute on Religion in an Age of Science (IRAS, the “Ghosts”), this essay highlights the wider, post‐World War II cultural context, including other science and religion organizations, in which IRAS was formed. It then considers eight challenges from today's context. From the context of science there are (1) the challenge of scale that leads us to question our place in the scheme of things and can lead to a challenge to morale concerning whether we make any difference; (2) the challenge of human variability that leads to the question whether there is a single human moral nature; and (3) the challenge of detailed explanation that leads to the question of what is the task of theology in relation to detailed scientific explanation. From the religion context there are (4) the challenge of objectivity—studying religion without practicing religion; and (5) the challenge of pluralism and the variety of cultural and religious perspectives. From the context of the growing and diverse science‐and‐religion enterprise, considered from the perspective of IRAS developed in the first part of this essay, there are the challenges of (6) apologetics and (7) intellectualization. Finally, from the context of our growing, worldwide consumerist culture that is contributing to the radical alteration of the planetary environment, leading to much suffering, there is (8) the challenge of becoming more motivated to act for the long‐term global good.
AN IDEA OF NATURE: A BIPOLAR PROPOSAL
Authors: Hefner Philip
Published: May 2015

This article argues that in order to understand nature, we depend on a basic idea or ideal type of nature, following R. G. Collingwood's workThe Idea of Nature. Collingwood asserted that the prevailing idea of nature in Western thought evolved through three analogies for understanding nature: (1) living organism, (2) machine, and (3) historical process. His use of the concept of idea is comparable to the use of ideal type proposed by Max Weber and Ernst Troeltsch. This article is a bipolar proposal: the one pole suggests revising Collingwood by including three additional elements: (4) emergence, (5) mystery, and (6) full‐bodied/God‐intoxication. Each of these elements is elaborated. The second pole concludes that under the aegis of this sixfold idea of nature, the classical Christian dogma of the Incarnation, the Two Natures of Christ can be interpreted as a proposal for understanding nature. The two poles are not necessarily bound together, but for certain theological purposes they may indeed work in tandem.
RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND GLOBALIZATION: BEYOND COMPARATIVE APPROACHES
Authors: Bauman Whitney
Published: May 2015

Using case studies from the Indonesian context, this article argues that the current truth regimes we now live by are always and already “hybrid” and that we need new methods for understanding meaning‐making practices in an era of globalization and climate change than comparative approaches allow. Following the works of such thinkers as physicist Karen Barad, political philosopher William Connolly, and eco‐critic Timothy Morton, this article develops the idea that an event‐oriented or object‐oriented approach better captures our hybrid meaning‐making practices. Not only that, but it also provides a lens through which to understand traditions as polydox (rather than orthodox) and the rise of “modern” science as itself a planetary (rather than a Western) phenomenon.
THE CHRISTIAN CORE OF INTELLIGENT DESIGN
Authors: Woodill Sharon
Published: May 2015

Intelligent design (ID) theorists assert that ID is a scientific theory that is merely consistent with some religious beliefs. Many critics point to the circumstantial evidence of the apparent development of ID from creation science and the affiliation of ID with mainstream evangelical organizations to assert its religious orientation. This article suggests that the position of ID proponents is a substantial understatement, and that beyond the circumstantial evidence of critics, fundamental Christian doctrine constitutes the essence of ID theory. The bulk of scholarship on ID is polarized into those for and against, as most focus on adjudicating ID truth claims, but this adversarial structure elides some important complexities. This article sets aside the truth claims of ID and focuses more broadly on the discourse in which it is situated to show the Christian core of ID and to examine several hallmarks of religion apparent from this perspective.
RELIGION AND SCIENCE IN GERMANY
Authors: Evers Dirk
Published: May 2015

During the last fifty years, the dialogue between science and religion in Germany has gained momentum. This essay briefly describes the academic setting in Germany with denominational theology at state universities and explains the development of secularization in reunified Germany. Twenty‐five years after reunification, East Germany is one of the most secular societies in the world, and religion is seen as a strange relic. This poses challenges to the interaction between science and religion in both parts of Germany. The essay then presents important institutions and contributors to the interaction between science and religion in Germany over the past fifty years, emphasizing the importance of private institutes at the intersection of the academy with society, churches, and ethical challenges.
SCHOLARS, AMATEURS, AND ARTISTS AS PARTNERS FOR THE FUTURE OF RELIGION AND SCIENCE
Authors: Fredericks Sarah E. , Schweitz Lea F.
Published: May 2015

We recommend that the future of religion and science involve more partnerships between scholars, amateurs, and artists. This reimagines an underdeveloped aspect of the history of religion and science. Case studies of an undergraduate course examining religious ritual and technology, seminarians reflecting on memory and identity in light of Alzheimer's disease, environmentalists responding to their guilt and shame about climate change, and Chicagoans recognizing the presence of nature in the city show how these partnerships respect insights and experiences of our varied partners, identify and resolve community problems, and advance scholarship. Sourdough starter, a new metaphor, describes these collaborative, nourishing partnerships.
WHY I AM AN ACCOMMODATIONIST AND PROUD OF IT
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: May 2015

There is a strong need of a reasoned defense of what was known as the “independence” position of the science–religion relationship but that more recently has been denigrated as the “accommodationist” position, namely that while there are parts of religion—fundamentalist Christianity in particular—that clash with modern science, the essential parts of religion (Christianity) do not and could not clash with science. A case for this position is made on the grounds of the essentially metaphorical nature of science. Modern science functions because of its root metaphor of the machine: the world is seen in mechanical terms. As Thomas Kuhn insisted, metaphors function in part by ruling some questions outside their domain. In the case of modern science, four questions go unasked and hence unanswered: Why is there something rather than nothing? What is the foundation of morality? What is mind and its relationship to matter? What is the meaning of it all? You can remain a nonreligious skeptic on these questions, but it is open for the Christian to offer his or her answers, so long as they are not scientific answers. Here then is a way that science and religion can coexist.
A GOD THAT COULD BE REAL IN THE NEW SCIENTIFIC UNIVERSE
Authors: Abrams Nancy Ellen
Published: May 2015

We are living at the dawn of the first truly scientific picture of the universe‐as‐a‐whole, yet people are still dragging along prescientific ideas about God that cannot be true and are even meaningless (e.g., omniscience) in the universe we now know we live in. This makes it impossible to have a coherent big picture of the modern world that includes God. But we don't have to accept an impossible God or else no God. We can have a real God if we redefine God in light of knowledge no one ever had before. The key question is, “Could anything actually exist in the scientific universe that is worthy of the name, God?” My answer is yes: God is an “emergent phenomenon,” as real as the global economy or the government or the worldwide web, which are all emergent phenomena. But God arose from something deeper: the complex interactions of all humanity's aspirations. An emerging God has enormous implications.
SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN LATIN AMERICA: DEVELOPMENTS AND PROSPECTS
Authors: Silva Ignacio
Published: May 2015

The state of the debate surrounding issues on science and religion in Latin America is mostly unknown, both to regional and extra‐regional scholars. This article presents and reviews in some detail the developments since 2000, when the first symposium on science and religion was held in Mexico, up to the present. I briefly introduce some features of Latin American academia and higher education institutions, as well as some trends in the public reception of these debates and atheist engagement with it in Mexico and Argentina. The primary conclusion of this article is that, even though the discussion is new to Latin American academic circles, it is gaining traction and will certainly grow in the coming years.
THE “RELATION” BETWEEN SCIENCE AND RELIGION IN THE PLURALISTIC LANDSCAPE OF TODAY'S WORLD
Authors: Bagir Zainal Abidin
Published: May 2015

The attempt to expand the discourse of science and religion by considering the pluralistic landscape of today's world requires not only adding new voices from more religious traditions but a rethinking of the basic categories of the discourse, that is, “science,” “religion,” and the notion that the main issue to be investigated is the relationship between the two. Making use of historical studies of science and religion discourse and a case study from Indonesia, this article suggests a rethinking of the categories, including giving more attention to indigenous religions.
THE CRAZINESS FOR EXTRA‐SENSORY PERCEPTION: QIGONG FEVER AND THE SCIENCE–PSEUDOSCIENCE DEBATE IN CHINA
Authors: Li Jianhui , Fu Zheng
Published: May 2015

From 1979 to 1999, a heated dispute over the science or pseudoscience of extraordinary power or extrasensory perception (ESP) took place in China. During these two decades, many so‐called “grandmasters” of ESP and Qigong emerged, and millions of people across the country studied with them; this was known as “Qigong Fever” or “ESP Fever.” The supporters of ESP argued that ESP existed, people could cultivate ESP through specific Qigong training, and ESP was a science; whereas the opponents of ESP denied all of these. Both sides of the dispute had many supporters. With the onset of Qigong Fever in China, some Qigong and ESP masters developed their Qigong organizations into Chinese‐style religions. Qigong Fever ended when the religions were banned by the Chinese government. The rise of Qigong Fever demonstrated that basic questions about the boundaries between science and pseudoscience were not easy to answer. Different theoretical and practical consequences resulted from different answers to these questions.
LEVELS OF ANALYSIS IN PHILOSOPHY, RELIGION, AND SCIENCE
Authors: Bylica Piotr
Published: May 2015

This article introduces a model of levels of analysis applied to statements found in philosophical, scientific, and religious discourses in order to facilitate a more accurate description of the relation between science and religion. The empirical levels prove to be the most crucial for the relation between science and religion, because they include statements that are important parts of both scientific and religious discourse, whereas statements from metaphysical levels are only important in terms of religion (and philosophy) and are neutral in relation to particular scientific theories. In particular, the rejection of certain ontological assumptions behind special divine action logically entails the rejection of the literal meaning of empirical statements describing special open expression of supernatural factors in nature. Such a rejection also entails an essential revision of many religious systems of beliefs, including traditional Christian theism.
FROM AUTHORITY TO AUTHENTICITY: IRAS ANDZYGONIN NEW CONTEXTS
Authors: Drees Willem B.
Published: May 2015

In the 60 years since IRAS was founded, and the 50 years sinceZygon: Journal of Religion and Sciencestarted, science has developed enormously. More important, though less obvious, the character of religion has changed, at least in Western countries. Church membership has gone down considerably. This is not due to arguments, for example, about science and atheism, but reflects a change in sources of authority. Rather than the traditional and communal authority, an individualism that emphasizes “authenticity” characterizes religion and spirituality in our time. Less extensive but similar is the loss of authority with respect to science. As a consequence, “religion and science” might seek to provide attractive constructive proposals for visions that integrate an ethos and a worldview. IRAS might contribute by providing a platform for information and the exchange of proposals for a particular audience, whileZygonserves a global and diverse audience with well‐researched articles.
Customer Value Controlling – Combining Different Value Perspectives
Authors: Krämer Andreas , Burgartz Thomas
Published: May 2015

The article begins by presenting a model for the structuring of customer data which can be used to demonstrate the value of data in different forms of aggregation. Since Customer Value plays a crucial role in this model the term is examined more closely. As part of a value-based customer relationship management critical parameters are customer benefits and customer profitability. Both perspectives are included in the term Customer Value. A segmentation approach is shown which integrates the key measures of customer relationship management: value generation from the customer perspective (“Value to the Customer”) and value generation from the company’s perspective (“Value of the Customer”). The practical application of the method is demonstrated with typical cases concerning both, B2B as well as B2C markets.
Passive Dynamics Explain Quadrupedal Walking, Trotting, and Tölting
Authors: Gan Zhenyu , Wiestner Thomas , Weishaupt Michael A. , Waldern Nina M. , David Remy C.
Published: May 2015

This paper presents a simplistic passive dynamic model that is able to create realistic quadrupedal walking, tölting, and trotting motions. The model is inspired by the bipedal spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) model and consists of a distributed mass on four massless legs. Each of the legs is either in ground contact, retracted for swing, or is ready for touch down with a predefined angle of attack. Different gaits, that is, periodic motions differing in interlimb coordination patterns, are generated by choosing different initial model states. Contact patterns and ground reaction forces (GRFs) evolve solely from these initial conditions. By identifying appropriate system parameters in an optimization framework, the model is able to closely match experimentally recorded vertical GRFs of walking and trotting of Warmblood horses, and of tölting of Icelandic horses. In a detailed study, we investigated the sensitivity of the obtained solutions with respect to all states and parameters and quantified the improvement in fitting GRF by including an additional head and neck segment. Our work suggests that quadrupedal gaits are merely different dynamic modes of the same structural system and that we can interpret different gaits as different nonlinear elastic oscillations that propel an animal forward.
Quantifying the utility of taking pills for preventing adverse health outcomes: a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Hutchins Robert , Pignone Michael P , Sheridan Stacey L , Viera Anthony J
Published: May 2015

Objectives

The utility value attributed to taking pills for prevention can have a major effect on the cost-effectiveness of interventions, but few published studies have systematically quantified this value. We sought to quantify the utility value of taking pills used for prevention of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

Central North Carolina.

Participants

708 healthcare employees aged 18 years and older.

Primary and secondary outcomes

Utility values for taking 1 pill/day, assessed using time trade-off, modified standard gamble and willingness-to-pay methods.

Results

Mean age of respondents was 43 years (19–74). The majority of the respondents were female (83%) and Caucasian (80%). Most (80%) took at least 2 pills/day. Mean utility values for taking 1 pill/day using the time trade-off method were: 0.9972 (95% CI 0.9962 to 0.9980). Values derived from the standard gamble and willingness-to-pay methods were 0.9967 (0.9954 to 0.9979) and 0.9989 (95% CI 0.9986 to 0.9991), respectively. Utility values varied little across characteristics such as age, sex, race, education level or number of pills taken per day.

Conclusions

The utility value of taking pills daily in order to prevent an adverse CVD health outcome is approximately 0.997.
The Celiac Disease and Diabetes-Dietary Intervention and Evaluation Trial (CD-DIET) protocol: a randomised controlled study to evaluate treatment of asymptomatic coeliac disease in type 1 diabetes
Authors: Mahmud Farid H , De Melo Emilia N , Noordin Karima , Assor Esther , Sahota Kamaljeet , Davies-Shaw Jolie , Cutz Ernest , Somers Gino , Lawson Margaret , Mack David R , Gallego Patricia , McDonald Charlotte , Beaton Melanie D , Bax Kevin , Saibil Fred , Gilbert Jeremy , Kirsch Susan , Perkins Bruce A , Cino Maria , Szentgyorgyi Eva , Koltin Dror , Parikh Amish , Mukerji Geetha , Advani Andrew , Lou Olivia , Marcon Margaret A
Published: May 2015

Introduction

Coeliac disease (CD) is an autoimmune condition characterised by gluten-induced intestinal inflammation, and observed at a 5–10 fold greater prevalence in type 1 diabetes. While universal screening for CD in patients with diabetes is frequently advocated, objective data is limited as to benefits on diabetes control, bone health or quality of life related to the adoption of a gluten-free diet (GFD) in the large proportion of patients with diabetes with asymptomatic CD. TheCeliac Disease andDiabetes-DietaryIntervention andEvaluationTrial (CD-DIET) study is a multicenter, randomised controlled trial to evaluate the efficacy and safety of a GFD in patients with type 1 diabetes with asymptomatic CD.

Methods and analysis

Children and adults (8–45 years) with type 1 diabetes will be screened for asymptomatic CD. Eligible patients with biopsy-proven CD will be randomly assigned in a 1:1 ratio to treatment with a GFD for 1 year, or continue with a gluten-containing diet. The primary outcome will evaluate the impact of the GFD on change in glycated haemoglobin. Secondary outcomes will evaluate changes in bone mineral density, blood glucose variability and health-related quality of life between GFD-treated and the regular diet group over a 1-year period. The study was initiated in 2012 and has subsequently expanded to multiple paediatric and adult centres in Ontario, Canada.

Ethics and dissemination

The findings from this study will provide high-quality evidence as to the impact of GFD treatment on glycaemic control and complications in asymptomatic children and adults with CD and type 1 diabetes.

Trial registration number

NCT01566110.
Metric properties of Baumslag–Solitar groups
Authors: Burillo José , Elder Murray
Published: May 2015

We compute estimates for the word metric of Baumslag–Solitar groups in terms of the Britton's lemma normal form. As a corollary, we find lower bounds for the growth rate for the groups BS(p, q) with 1 < p ≤ q.
Conformational, vibrational and electronic properties of CH3(CH2)3CX2NH2 (X = H, F, Cl or Br): Halogen and solvent effects
Authors: Parlak Cemal , Gökce Münevver , Tursun Mahir , Rhyman Lydia , Ramasami Ponnadurai
Published: May 2015

The effects of varying halogen and solvent, in terms of vibrational and electronic properties, on the different conformers of 1-pentanamine [ CH 3( CH 2)4 NH 2] and 1,1-dihalogeno-pentan-1-amines [ CH 3( CH 2)3 CX 2 NH 2; X = F , Cl or Br ] were investigated by employing the density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent density functional theory (TD-DFT) methods. The B3LYP functional was used with the 6-31++G(d,p) basis set. Computations were focused on the 10 conformational isomers of the compounds in the gas phase and both in non-polar (benzene) and polar (methanol) solvents. The present work explores the effects of the halogen and the medium on the conformational preference, and geometrical parameter, dipole moment, NH 2 vibrational frequency, UV spectrum, highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals (HOMO–LUMO) orbital and DOS diagram of the conformers. The atypical characteristics of fluorine and bromine affecting the electrical bandgap, chemical hardness, electronegativity, PDOS or OPDOS plots and the absorption band are observed correspondingly. The findings of this work can be useful to those systems involving changes in the conformations analogous to the compounds studied.
Biologically inspired small infrared target detection using local contrast mechanisms
Authors: Xia Tian , Tang Yuan Yan
Published: May 2015

In order to obtain higher small target detection accuracy, this paper presents an effective algorithm inspired by the local contrast mechanism. The proposed method can enhance target signal and suppress background clutter simultaneously. In the first stage, a enhanced image is obtained using the proposed Weighted Laplacian of Gaussian. In the second stage, an adaptive threshold is adopted to segment the target. Experimental results on two challenging image sequences show that the proposed method can detect the bright and dark targets simultaneously, and is not sensitive to sea–sky line of the infrared (IR) image. So it is fit for small IR target detection.
Highly Ordered Mesoporous Antimony-Doped SnO2 Materials for Lithium-ion Battery
Authors: Park Gwi Ok , Hyung Eunbyeol , Shon Jeong Kuk , Kim Hansu , Kim Ji Man
Published: May 2015

Highly ordered mesoporous antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO) materials, containing different amount of antimony in the range of 0–50mol%, are prepared via a nanoreplication method using a mesoporous silica template. The mesoporous ATO materials thus obtained exhibit high electrical conductivity, high reversible capacity, superior cycle stability and good rate capability as anode materials for lithium-ion batteries, compared to those of pure mesoporous tin oxide. Amongst the ATO materials in this work, the mesoporous ATO material with 10mol% of antimony has highest discharge capacity of 1940mAhg-1 (charge capacity of 1049) at the 1st cycle, best cycle performance (716mAhg-1 at 100th cycle) and excellent rate capability, which are probably due to the enhanced electrical conductivity as well as reduced crystalline size.