bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
ITIM‐dependent negative signaling pathways for the control of cell‐mediated xenogeneic immune responses
Authors: del Rio Maria‐Luisa , Seebach Jörg D. , Fernández‐Renedo Carlos , Rodriguez‐Barbosa Jose‐Ignacio 
Published: August 2013

AbstractXenotransplantation is an innovative field of research with the potential to provide us with an alternative source of organs to face the severe shortage of human organ donors. For several reasons, pigs have been chosen as the most suitable source of organs and tissues for transplantation in humans. However, porcine xenografts undergo cellular immune responses representing a major barrier to their acceptance and normal functioning. Innate and adaptive xenogeneic immunity is mediated by both the recognition of xenogeneic tissue antigens and the lack of inhibition due to molecular cross‐species incompatibilities of regulatory pathways. Therefore, the delivery of immunoreceptor tyrosine‐based inhibitory motif (ITIM)‐dependent and related negative signals to control innate (NK cells, macrophages) and adaptive T and B cells might overcome cell‐mediated xenogeneic immunity. The proof of this concept has already been achieved in vitro by the transgenic overexpression of human ligands of several inhibitory receptors in porcine cells resulting in their resistance against xenoreactivity. Consequently, several transgenic pigs expressing tissue‐specific human ligands of inhibitory coreceptors (HLA‐E, CD47) or soluble competitors of costimulation (belatacept) have already been generated. The development of these robust and innovative approaches to modulate human anti‐pig cellular immune responses, complementary to conventional immunosuppression, will help to achieve long‐term xenograft survival. In this review, we will focus on the current strategies to enhance negative signaling pathways for the regulation of undesirable cell‐mediated xenoreactive immune responses.
ISLAM AND BIOETHICS IN THE CONTEXT OF “RELIGION AND SCIENCE”
Authors: Drees Willem B. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis paper places “Islam and bioethics” within the framework of “religion and science” discourse. It thus may be seen as a complement to the paper by Henk ten Have () with which this thematic section in Zygon: Journal of Religion and Science opens, which places “Islam and bioethics” in the context of contemporary bioethics. It turns out that in Zygon there have been more submitted articles on Islam and bioethics than on any other Islam‐related topic. This may be a consequence of the global nature of the bioethical issues, driven by advancement in science and technology, which allows for conversation across cultural and religious boundaries even when the normative references and argumentative methods are tradition‐specific.
GORDON KAUFMAN, FLAT ONTOLOGY, AND VALUE: TOWARD AN ECOLOGICAL THEOCENTRISM
Authors: James Thomas A. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractGordon Kaufman's theology is characterized by a heightened tension between transcendence, expressed as theocentrism, and immanence, expressed as theological naturalism. The interplay between these two motifs leads to a contradiction between an austerity created by the conjunction of naturalism and theocentrism, on the one hand, and a humanized cosmos which is characterized by a pivotal and unique role for human moral agency, on the other. This paper tracks some of the influences behind Kaufman's program (primarily H. Richard Niebuhr and Henry Nelson Wieman) and then utilizes the flat ontology that emerges in the work of philosopher/sociologist of science Bruno Latour and of environmental philosopher Timothy Morton in order to point toward a reconstructed immanent theocentrism that no longer stakes meaning and value on the unique place of the human. Such a theology remains theocentric, but is now fully ecological.
A CHRISTIAN NATURALISM: DEVELOPING THE THINKING OF GORDON KAUFMAN
Authors: Peters Karl E. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThis essay develops a theological naturalism using Gordon Kaufman's nonpersonal idea of God as serendipitous creativity in contrast to the personal metaphorical theology of Sallie McFague. It then develops a Christian theological naturalism by using Kaufman's idea of historical trajectories, specifically Jesus trajectory1and Jesus trajectory2. The first is the trajectory in the early Christian church assuming a personal God in the framework of Greek philosophy that results in the Trinity. The second is the naturalistic‐humanistic trajectory of creativity (God) that evolves from nonpersonal interactions in the universe and life to creativity in persons and is manifested in Jesus as love. This is elaborated further with Dean Keith Simonton's Darwinian understanding of genius and Marcus Borg's analysis of Jesus as Jewish mystic, teacher of alternative wisdom, and nonviolent resister to the domination system of the Roman Empire. What makes Jesus a religious genius is his exemplifying unconditional, universal love—a new mode of creativity (God) that has evolved from nonhuman to a human form.
EMBODIED COGNITION, CHARACTER FORMATION, AND VIRTUE
Authors: Brown Warren S. , Reimer Kevin S. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractThe theory of embodied cognition makes the claim that our cognitive processes are, at their core, sensorimotor, situated, and action‐relevant. Our mental system is built primarily to control action, and so mind is formed by the nature of the body and its interactions with the world. In this paper we will explore the nature of virtue and its formation from the perspective of embodied cognition. We specifically describe exemplars of the virtue of compassion (caregivers of individuals with developmental disabilities in L'Arche communities), speculating as to what might have been the formative influences in their character development. Embodied formation is understood in the context of the openness of human cortical systems to formation by social interactions, and in terms of the openness to reorganization and change of complex dynamical systems. Specific formative influences explored include interpersonal imitation, social attachment, language, and story.
EMBODIED COGNITION AND RELIGION
Authors: Watts Fraser 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIt is argued that there are good scientific grounds for accepting that cognition functions in a way that reflects embodiment. This represents a more holistic, systemic way of thinking about human beings, and contributes to the coordination of scientific assumptions about mind and body with those of the faith traditions, moving us beyond sterile debates about reductionism. It has been claimed by Francisco Varela and others that there is an affinity between Buddhism and embodied cognition, though it is argued here that they are less closely aligned than is sometimes assumed. Embodied cognition also accords well with the holistic strand of thinking about human nature in Judeo‐Christian thinking. While accepting the persuasiveness of the general case for cognition being embodied it is suggested here that some forms of cognition are more embodied than others, and that it may be one of the distinctive features of humans that they have developed a capacity for relatively nonembodied forms of cognition.
GORDON KAUFMAN'S HUMANIZING CONCEPT OF GOD
Authors: Renaud Myriam 
Published: August 2013

AbstractWhy should Gordon Kaufman's mid‐career theological method be of renewed interest to contemporary theists? Two distinguishing characteristics of the West today are its increasing religious pluralism and the growing numbers of theists who rely on hybrid approaches to construct concepts of God. Kaufman's method is well suited to this current state of affairs because it is open to diverse religious and theological perspectives and to perspectives from science and secular humanism. It also militates against the weaknesses inherent to hybrid approaches—ad hoc constructs of God unable to motivate their holders to overcome human self‐centeredness and so to contribute to the well‐being and fulfillment of others. It achieves this by providing checks to reduce the risk of producing human‐writ‐large God‐constructs. Lastly, Kaufman's method provides criteria to help theists identify humane and humanizing experiences, relationships, concepts, images, and texts (i.e., the basic material from which God‐constructs are fashioned) from the plethora of options available, whether religious, cultural, or secular.
KAUFMAN'S DEBT TO KANT: THE EPISTEMOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE “STRUCTURE OF THE WORLD WHICH ENVIRONS US”
Authors: Woolley J. Patrick 
Published: August 2013

AbstractGordon Kaufman's “constructive theology” can easily be taken out of context and misunderstood or misrepresented as a denial of God. It is too easily overlooked that in his approach everything is an imaginary construct given no immediate ontological status—the self, the world, and God are “products of the imagination.” This reflects an influence, not only of theories on linguistic and cultural relativism, but also of Kant's “ideas of pure reason.” Kaufman is explicit about this debt to Kant. But I argue there are other aspects of Kant's legacy implicit in his method. These center around Kaufman's engagement with “observed patterns” in nature. With Paul Tillich's aid, I bring this neglected issue to the fore and argue that addressing it allows one to more readily capitalize upon the Kantian influence in Kaufman's method. This, in turn, encourages one to tap more deeply into the epistemic underpinnings of Kaufman's approach to the science–religion dialogue.
COLLECTIVE RELIGIO‐SCIENTIFIC DISCUSSIONS ON ISLAM AND HIV/AIDS: I. BIOMEDICAL SCIENTISTS
Authors: Ghaly Mohammed 
Published: August 2013

AbstractDuring the 1990s, biomedical scientists and Muslim religious scholars collaborated to construe Islamic responses for the ethical questions raised by the AIDS pandemic. This is the first of a two‐part study examining this collective legal reasoning (ijtihād jamā‘ī). The main thesis is that the role of the biomedical scientists is not limited to presenting scientific information. They engaged in the human rights discourse pertinent to people living with HIV/AIDS, gave an account of the preventive strategy adopted by the World Health Organization, and offered an (Islamic) virtue‐based preventive model. Finally, these scientists tried to draft a number of Islamic legal rulings (aḥkām), usually seen in Islamic jurisprudence as the exclusive business of Muslim religious scholars. This multilayered role played by the scientists reflects intriguing developments in the Islamic religio‐ethical discourse in general and in the field of Islamic jurisprudence in particular.
ISLAMIC VERDICTS IN HEALTH POLICY DISCOURSE: PORCINE‐BASED VACCINES AS A CASE STUDY
Authors: Padela Aasim I. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn this article, I apply a policy‐oriented applied Islamic bioethics lens to two verdicts on the permissibility of using vaccines with porcine components. I begin by reviewing the decrees and then proceed to describe how they were used by health policy stakeholders. Subsequently, My analysis will highlight aspects of the verdict's ethico‐legal arguments in order to illustrate salient legal concepts that must be accounted for when using Islamic verdicts as the basis for health policy. I will conclude with several suggestions for facilitating a more judicious use of verdicts in policy‐relevant discourse. My analysis is meant to contribute to the dialogue between science and religion, and aims to further efforts at developing health policies that value health while accommodating religious values. In the encounter between the Islamic tradition and global public health, a multidisciplinary dialogue, where Islamic legists become aware of the health policy implications of their ethico‐legal pronouncements, and where health policy actors gain a literate understanding of Islamic ethico‐legal theory, will lead to verdicts that better meet the needs of patients, health workers, and religious leaders.
WOMB TRANSPLANTATION AND THE INTERPLAY OF ISLAM AND THE WEST
Authors: Alghrani Amel 
Published: August 2013

AbstractIn Saudi Arabia in 2000 the world's first human uterus transplant was attempted with some success. In 2011 the second successful human uterus transplant took place in Turkey. Doctors in the United Kingdom have recently announced that uterus transplants will be carried out in the UK if doctors can raise enough funds to complete their research. As scientists continue to make progress in this domain this is anticipated to be the next breakthrough in the arena of assisted reproductive technologies. The procedure is designed to restore fertility in women unable to gestate due to an abnormal, damaged, or absent uterus. At present, the only other option for such women to achieve genetic motherhood is via surrogacy, which in Islam is widely regarded as haram or forbidden. This article examines the benefits of this technology so as to facilitate discourse between Islam and the West. It argues for Islamic scholars to consider these advances so as to ensure Muslims living as minorities in Western countries, such as the United Kingdom, are able to utilize such technology (if indeed regarded as permissible) should the government move to enact legislation to permit this procedure.
THE INTERPLAY BETWEEN RELIGIOUS LEADERS AND ORGAN DONATION AMONG MUSLIMS
Authors: Rasheed Shoaib A. , Padela Aasim I. 
Published: August 2013

AbstractBioethics and health researchers often turn to Islamic jurisconsults (fuqahā’) and their verdicts (fatāwā) to understand how Islam and health intersect. Yet when using fatwā to promote health behavior change, researchers have often found less than ideal results. In this article we examine several health behavior change interventions that partnered with Muslim religious leaders aiming at promoting organ donation. As these efforts have generally met with limited success, we reanalyze these efforts through the lens of the theory of planned behavior, and in light of two distinct scholarly imperatives of Muslim religious leaders, the ʿilmī and the islāhī. We argue for a new approach to health behavior change interventions within the Muslim community that are grounded in theoretical frameworks from the science of behavior change, as well the religious leadership paradigms innate to the Islamic tradition. We conclude by exploring the implications of our proposed model for applied Islamic bioethics and health research.
Horizontal Installation of TLP Tendons
Authors: Li Guang (George) , Kipp Robert , Leverette Steve 
Published: August 2013

Tension Leg Platforms (TLPs) are ideal supports for dry-tree top tension riser systems because their tendons exhibit high tensile stiffness and significantly reduce the heave, pitch, and roll motions of the platforms. Since the first TLP (Hutton) was installed in the North Sea in 1984, a total of 24 TLPs have been installed throughout the world with 16 of them installed in the Gulf of Mexico. Currently there are new TLP projects proposed in regions off the coast of Malaysia, West Africa, Brazil and Western Australia. Heavy-lift vessels were used to install tendons for most of these TLP’s. Tendon joints were assembled vertically from bottom part to top part. Using a heavy-lift vessel introduces significant cost and schedule challenge to TLP projects, especially ones located in remote regions.
A horizontal tendon installation methodology is presented in this paper. This innovative approach involves horizontal assembly of TLP tendon segments on a construction barge. The partially assembled tendon is then incrementally pulled out through a stinger at the barge stern and secured with a hold back clamp so that the next tendon joint can be connected. The process repeats itself until the whole tendon is assembled and deployed. The tendon is then upended to a vertical configuration and connected to a TLP or a foundation pile. In this paper, we examine the alternative equipment and configuration options in the horizontal installation methodology. We outline rationales to select the appropriate options and measures to reduce project cost and risks.
State-of-the-Art: Fatigue Life Extension of Offshore Installations
Authors: Martinez Luis Lopez , Barsoum Zuheir , Paradowska Anna 
Published: August 2013

The use of fatigue life improvement techniques and specifically ultrasonic peening treatment to extend the service life of offshore structures has become an accepted practice during the last five years. The understanding of the process as well as equipment’s upgrading for treatment in-situ including quality control and assurance have been developed up to a level that it has become a current practice in many parts of the world.
However, the efficiency of the ultrasonic peening is strictly dependent on the deep understanding of significant fatigue parameters as weld defects, stress concentrations and residual stresses and their interaction. In this paper we attempt to present the current knowledge and the physical reasons why the ultrasonic peening treatment is able to improve the fatigue life of welded joints.
The local weld geometry or stress concentration, weld imperfections as well as welding residual stresses are all modified and improved by the application of ultrasonic peening.
Local weld geometry and weld process inherent weld imperfections are the factors primarily influencing the fatigue strength in welded joints. Comprehensive studies have been carried out during the last 20 years in order to detect and document the weld defects as well as to understand their origin and effect on the fatigue strength of welds. Analogous efforts have been dedicated to understand and document the influence of local weld geometries on the stress concentrations and its influence on endurance and structural integrity.
Similarly, efforts have been done to understand the influence of the relaxation by external loads of the by the ultrasonic peening treatment induced compressive stresses.
Fatigue test results of ultrasonic peening treated relevant weld details have been used to assess the potential life extension. The results showed four to six times fatigue life extension. The spectrum fatigue test was designed to confirm that relaxation by service loads of the induced compressive stresses during ultrasonic peening treatment would not diminish the benefit.
Beachpull Installation of Long Pipelines and Cables
Authors: Bhargav Kiran , Durairaj Senthilkumar 
Published: August 2013

Conventional pipelay (i.e. S-lay) is not feasible in shallow water locations owing to the draft of pipelay barges. Pipelay using beachpull method provides an alternative to such restrictions. A typical long beachpull operation in shallow water environment presents a substantial challenge, which calls for a thorough engineering analysis along with a detailed installation procedure.
This paper highlights the methods and techniques of pipelay using beachpull method that were employed on the John Brookes joint venture (Apache and Santos) and the Aramco Karan project. The John Brookes project (Varanus Island, Australia) included the installation of a landfall section comprising an 18” FBE coated pipeline featuring a beachpull length of 7.0 km, one of the longest of its kind. The Karan project (Saudi Arabia) comprised the installation of a 38” trunkline, requiring a beachpull length of 3.0 km and also the installation of a 15kV cable having a beachpull length of 4.0 km.
Beachpull engineering comprised checking the pipeline’s lateral stability under the influence of near-shore current-induced hydrodynamic forces. For the Apache Project, the 7.0 km long beachpull coupled with the proximity to the existing pipeline and near-shore currents offered a unique challenge. Supplementary buoyancy was utilized to limit the required beachpull tension within allowable limits. The drifting of the pipeline from the installation corridor was restricted by installing sand-filled bulker bags at designed intervals. The beachpull installation on the Karan project offered a different challenge owing to a larger pipe size and a piggybacked cable in a shallow water depth. Special consideration was given to the attachment of supplementary buoyancy bags and dynamic loadings that were acting throughout the beachpull length, especially during cable installation.
This paper describes the technical challenges faced during the estimation of the pull-in loads and weather-induced lateral displacements encountered during the beachpull. This paper also elaborates the assessment of proposed winch, design of supplementary buoyancy, design of bulker bags, etc.
Data collected on-site during installation of the pipelines are in good agreement with computed / designed values, ensuring the correctness of the beachpull simulations. Detailed engineering studies along with well developed installation procedures resulted in successful completion of the installation.
Determination of Friction Within a Riser Umbilical
Authors: Olsen Elise , Karlsen Stian , Jordal Lars , Hansen-Zahl Kay A. 
Published: August 2013

By combination of elements like hydraulic tubes, electrical and optical signal cables and electrical power cables, umbilicals provide remote control of subsea oil and gas wells. Riser umbilical’s are terminated at offshore platforms or vessels, and will be exposed to tension and bending variations caused by waves and vessel motions.
Understanding how forces are transmitted between the elements in an umbilical is vital for correct calculation of the umbilical design life. When umbilicals are exposed to tension and bending, tension will be imposed in the individual elements. The magnitude of tension is governed by the overall tension and bending and also by the lay angles, placement in the cross section and the friction forces between the elements.
Some friction coefficients may be found in literature, but not all material combinations, and not for the conditions inside an umbilical.
A project was therefore initiated with the aim of developing a friction testing device capable of determining friction coefficients between all elements in environments that are representative for the conditions within an umbilical, i.e.: at various temperatures; in sinusoidal movements, like the bending movements in an umbilical; at representative contact pressures, speeds and temperatures; in various environments, like air and seawater; without crumpling soft elements like synthetic tapes.