Scrabbling Mice, a Visit from Hades and Thoughts of Death. The Autobiography of Lucas Forcart-Respinger, a Merchant from Basel (1789–1869)

Der Beitrag legt offen, wie Lucas Forcart-Respinger, ein Angehöriger der Basler oberen Schichten, in seinem Selbstzeugnis sich mit dem Thema "Tod und Sterben" auseinandersetzt. Dabei zeigt sich, dass der einem pietistisch-"erweckten" Milieu zugehörige Autor im Vergleich mit anderen Basler Selbstzeugnissen des späten 18. und frühen 19. Jahrhunderts die unterschiedlichsten Facetten des Themenkomplexes beleuchtet: Jenseitsvorstellungen, Gespensterglaube, Todesfälle Verwandter, Selbsttötung, Scheintod und Lebendigbestattung. Insbesondere kennzeichnet eine starke Orientierung auf den eigenen Tod den Text. Auch die traditionelle Vorstellung der "artes moriendi" ist greifbar.

Reconstructing Arguments: Formalization and Reflective Equilibrium

Traditional logical reconstruction of arguments aims at assessing the validity of ordinary language arguments. It involves several tasks: extracting argumentations from texts, breaking up complex argumentations into individual arguments, framing arguments in standard form, as well as formalizing arguments and showing their validity with the help of a logical formalism. These tasks are guided by a multitude of partly antagonistic goals, they interact in various feedback loops, and they are intertwined with the development of theories of valid inference and adequate formalization. This paper explores how the method of reflective equilibrium can be used for modelling the complexity of such reconstructions and for justifying the various steps involved. The proposed approach is illustrated and tested in a detailed reconstruction of the beginning of Anselm’s De casu diaboli.

The mini-clinical evaluation exercise during medical clerkships: are learning needs and learning goals aligned?

OBJECTIVES The generation of learning goals (LGs) that are aligned with learning needs (LNs) is one of the main purposes of formative workplace-based assessment. In this study, we aimed to analyse how often trainer–student pairs identified corresponding LNs in mini-clinical evaluation exercise (mini-CEX) encounters and to what degree these LNs aligned with recorded LGs, taking into account the social environment (e.g. clinic size) in which the mini-CEX was conducted. METHODS Retrospective analyses of adapted mini-CEX forms (trainers’ and students’ assessments) completed by all Year 4 medical students during clerkships were performed. Learning needs were defined by the lowest score(s) assigned to one or more of the mini-CEX domains. Learning goals were categorised qualitatively according to their correspondence with the six mini-CEX domains (e.g. history taking, professionalism). Following descriptive analyses of LNs and LGs, multi-level logistic regression models were used to predict LGs by identified LNs and social context variables. RESULTS A total of 512 trainers and 165 students conducted 1783 mini-CEXs (98% completion rate). Concordantly, trainer–student pairs most often identified LNs in the domains of ‘clinical reasoning’ (23% of 1167 complete forms), ‘organisation/efficiency’ (20%) and ‘physical examination’ (20%). At least one ‘defined’ LG was noted on 313 student forms (18% of 1710). Of the 446 LGs noted in total, the most frequently noted were ‘physical examination’ (49%) and ‘history taking’ (21%). Corresponding LNs as well as social context factors (e.g. clinic size) were found to be predictors of these LGs. CONCLUSIONS Although trainer–student pairs often agreed in the LNs they identified, many assessments did not result in aligned LGs. The sparseness of LGs, their dependency on social context and their partial non-alignment with students’ LNs raise questions about how the full potential of the mini-CEX as not only a ‘diagnostic’ but also an ‘educational’ tool can be exploited.

Alignment between learning needs and learning goals of Mini-CEX in clerkships

Background: Defining learning goals (LG) in alignment with learning needs (LN) is one of the key purposes of formative workplace-based assessment, but studies about this topic are scarce. Summary of Work: We analysed quantitatively and qualitatively how often trainer-student pairs identified the same LN during Mini Clinical Evaluation Exercises (Mini-CEX) in clerkships and to what degree those LNs were in line with the recorded LGs. Multilevel logistic regression models were used to predict LGs by identified LNs, controlling for context variables. Summary of Results: 512 trainers and 165 students conducted 1783 Mini-CEX (98% completion rate). Concordantly, trainer-student pairs most often identified LNs in the domains ‘clinical reasoning’ (23% of 1167 complete forms), ‘organisation / efficiency’ (20%) and ‘physical examination’ (20%). At least one ‘defined’ LG was noted on 313 student forms (18% of 1710), with a total of 446 LGs. Of these, the most frequent LGs were ‘physical examination’ (49% of 446 LGs) and ‘history taking’ (21%); corresponding LNs as well as context variables (e.g. clinic size) were found to be predictors of these LGs. Discussion and Conclusions: Although trainer-student pairs often agreed in their identified LNs, many assessments did not result in an aligned LG or a LG at all. Interventions are needed to enhance the proportion of (aligned) LGs in Mini-CEX in order to tap into its full potential not only as a ‘diagnostic’ but also as an ‘educational tool’. Take-home messages: The sparseness of LGs, their dependency on context variables and their partial non-alignment with students’ LNs raise the question of how the effectiveness of Mini-CEX can be further enhanced.

Religion and Ethnicity in Mongolian Societies. Historical and Contemporary Perspectives

This volume about religion and ethnicity in Mongolian societies is the outcome of an international seminar organized in Switzerland in 2009. Ten contributions explore the interplay of religion and ethnicity in the Mongolian and Buryat-Mongolian regions, covering four hundred years of Mongolian and Buryat history. Drawing on methods of diverse scholarly disciplines, including religious studies, Tibetan and Mongolian studies, social anthropology and history, the issues addressed include Mongolian identity formations in the light of the Tibeto-Mongolian interface in the 17th century, Buryat religious survival in the colonial setting of 18th and 19th century Russia, the interplay of religion and politics in Buryatia, a case study of the famous “Imperishable Body” of Khambo Lama Itigelov, an analysis of the religious politics of the Buryat Traditional Sangha in today’s Republic of Buryatia, the role of Shamanism in the identity practices of Modern Buryatia, as well as the revival of “traditional” religions like Buddhism and Shamanism in Mongolia and the emergence of new religions, especially Christianity. Furthermore, two contributions provide in-depth analyses of the dominant theoretical approaches that inform Russian and Anglophone scholarship dealing with these questions.

Forest regeneration capacity and its enhancement by forest management and silviculture in Cabo Delgado

SDC has been involved in rural development in Cabo Delgado for more than 30 years. Shortly after the independence of Mozambique, projects in water supply and integrated rural development were initiated. The silvoagropastoral project FO9 based in Mueda was a very early experience in forestry in Cabo Delgado. Andreas Kläy was responsible for the forestry sector in FO9 for 3 years in the early 1980s and had an opportunity to initiate an exchange of ideas and experience in rural development theory and approaches with Yussuf Adam, who was doing research in human anthropology and history in the province. 25 years later, the current situation of forest management in Cabo Delgado was reassessed, with a specific focus on concessions in the North. The opportunity for a partnership between the MITI SA, the University of Eduardo Mondlane, and CDE was created on the basis of this preliminary study1. The aim of this partnership is to generate knowledge and develop capacity for sustainable forest management. The preliminary study showed that “…we have to face weaknesses and would like to start a learning process with the main institutions, organisations, and stakeholder groups active in forest management and research in the North of Cabo Delgado. This learning process will involve studies supported by competent research institutions and workshops …” The specific objectives of ESAPP project Q804 are the following: 1. Contribute to understanding of the forestry sector; 2. Capacity development for professionals and academics; 3. Support for the private sector and the local forest service; 4. Support data generation at Cabo Delgado's Provincial Service; 5. Capacity development for Swiss academic institutions (CDE and ETHZ). A conceptual planning platform was elaborated as a basis for cooperation and research in the partnership (cf. Annex 1). The partners agreed to work on two lines of research: biophysical and socio-economic. In order to ensure a transdisciplinary approach, disciplinary research is anchored in common understanding in workshops based on the LforS methods. These workshops integrate the main stakeholders in the local context of the COMADEL concession in Nangade District managed by MITI SA, and take place in the village of Namiune. The research team observed that current management schemes consist mainly of strategies of nature mining by most stakeholders involved. Institutional settings - formal and informal - have little impact due to weak capacity at the local level and corruption. Local difficulties in a remote rural area facilitate external access to resources and are perpetuated by the loss of benefits. The benefits of logging remain at the top level (economic and political elites). The interests of the owners of the concession in stopping the loss of resources caused by this regime offers a unique opportunity to intervene in the logic of resource degradation and agony in rural development and forest management.

Prestimulus default mode activity influences depth of processing and recognition in an emotional memory task

Low self-referential thoughts are associated with better concentration, which leads to deeper encoding and increases learning and subsequent retrieval. There is evidence that being engaged in externally rather than internally focused tasks is related to low neural activity in the default mode network (DMN) promoting open mind and the deep elaboration of new information. Thus, reduced DMN activity should lead to enhanced concentration, comprehensive stimulus evaluation including emotional categorization, deeper stimulus processing, and better long-term retention over one whole week. In this fMRI study, we investigated brain activation preceding and during incidental encoding of emotional pictures and on subsequent recognition performance. During fMRI, 24 subjects were exposed to 80 pictures of different emotional valence and subsequently asked to complete an online recognition task one week later. Results indicate that neural activity within the medial temporal lobes during encoding predicts subsequent memory performance. Moreover, a low activity of the default mode network preceding incidental encoding leads to slightly better recognition performance independent of the emotional perception of a picture. The findings indicate that the suppression of internally-oriented thoughts leads to a more comprehensive and thorough evaluation of a stimulus and its emotional valence. Reduced activation of the DMN prior to stimulus onset is associated with deeper encoding and enhanced consolidation and retrieval performance even one week later. Even small prestimulus lapses of attention influence consolidation and subsequent recognition performance. Hum Brain Mapp, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

How gender fair are German schoolbooks in the twenty-first century? An analysis of language and illustrations in schoolbooks for mathematics and German

Schoolbooks convey not only school-relevant knowledge; they also influence the development of stereotypes about different social groups. Particularly during the 1970s and 1980s, many studies analysed schoolbooks and criticised the overall predominance of male persons and of traditional role allocations. Since that time, women’s and men’s occupations and social functions have changed considerably. The present research investigated gender portrayals in schoolbooks for German and mathematics that were recently published in Germany. We examined the proportions of female and male persons in pictures and texts and categorized their activities, occupational and parental roles. Going beyond previous studies, we added two criteria: the use of gender-fair language and the spatial arrangements of persons in pictures. Our results show that schoolbooks for German contained almost balanced depictions of girls and boys, whereas women were less frequently shown than men. In mathematics books, males outnumbered females in general. Across both types of books, female and male persons were engaged in many different activities, not only gendertyped ones; however, male persons were more often described via their profession than females. Use of gender-fair language has found its way into schoolbooks but is not used consistently. Books for German were more gender fair in terms of linguistic forms than books for mathematics. For spatial arrangements, we found no indication for gender biases. The results are discussed with a focus on how schoolbooks can be optimized to contribute to gender equality.

Motion-insensitive determination of B1+ amplitudes based on the bloch-siegert shift in single voxels of moving organs including the human heart.

PURPOSE To reliably determine the amplitude of the transmit radiofrequency ( B1+) field in moving organs like the liver and heart, where most current techniques are usually not feasible. METHODS B1+ field measurement based on the Bloch-Siegert shift induced by a pair of Fermi pulses in a double-triggered modified Point RESolved Spectroscopy (PRESS) sequence with motion-compensated crusher gradients has been developed. Performance of the sequence was tested in moving phantoms and in muscle, liver, and heart of six healthy volunteers each, using different arrangements of transmit/receive coils. RESULTS B1+ determination in a moving phantom was almost independent of type and amplitude of the motion and agreed well with theory. In vivo, repeated measurements led to very small coefficients of variance (CV) if the amplitude of the Fermi pulse was chosen above an appropriate level (CV in muscle 0.6%, liver 1.6%, heart 2.3% with moderate amplitude of the Fermi pulses and 1.2% with stronger Fermi pulses). CONCLUSION The proposed sequence shows a very robust determination of B1+ in a single voxel even under challenging conditions (transmission with a surface coil or measurements in the heart without breath-hold). Magn Reson Med, 2015. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Prevalence and determinants of type 2 diabetes among Filipino Americans in Houston metropolitan statistical area, Texas

Diabetes in adults (type 2) has emerged as a world health problem. Prevalence and risk factors have been found to vary in different populations. The wide range of prevalence rates worldwide indicates the importance of genetic and environmental factors in the etiology of the disease. The few available studies suggest that Filipinos are among the higher-risk groups for developing diabetes. This cross-sectional study estimated the overall prevalence rate of type 2 diabetes among Filipino Americans, ages 20–74 years and residents of Houston Metropolitan Statistical Area, Texas, to be 16.1%. The observed high prevalence was associated with age, sex, family history of diabetes, obesity, region of birth; and, in women, gestational diabetes and income. The diabetic Filipino Americans had a higher proportion of parental history of diabetes, medical history of hypertension, and history of smoking; were physically less active, but generally non-obese, compared with the United States diabetic population. ^

Fort Richardson Ordnance Detonations and the Harbor Porpoise: A Case Study in Marine Mammal Bioacoustics

Hearing is extremely important for cetaceans because it is their “principal sense” (Weilgart, 2007) thus the harbor porpoise and other marine animals are highly dependent on sound for survival. This is why we should care about the impact of noise on animals like the harbor porpoise. Since sound travels so well in water, an explosion, sonar, boat noise, etc. can affect a very large area and thus many different species of marine mammals. Although military actions such as low frequency sonar have made recent news, noise has been affecting cetaceans, especially beaked whales, since at least 1991 (Weilgart, 2007). This study is an investigation of the possible impacts of artillery detonated on land on harbor porpoise hearing and covers some of the history of Fort Richardson, the legal and historical aspects and history of this type of concern, the science and physics of sound, marine mammal hearing and general biology of the harbor porpoise. Data were collected at the Fort Richardson Army base during June of 2007 by researchers from the University of Connecticut and the University of Rhode Island and will be used to determine the possible impacts that these detonations could have on the harbor porpoise.

Ethnic differences in tumor characteristics, treatment and survival in glioma patients

Purpose. A descriptive analysis of glioma patients by race was carried out in order to better elucidate potential differences between races in demographics, treatment, characteristics, prognosis and survival. ^ Patients and Methods. Among 1,967 patients ≥ 18 years diagnosed with glioma seen between July 2000 and September 2006 at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC). Data were collated from the UTMDACC Patient History Database (PHDB) and the UTMDACC Tumor Registry Database (TRDB). Chi-square analysis, uni- /multivariate Cox proportional hazards modeling and survival analysis were used to analyze differences by race. ^ Results. Demographic, treatment and histologic differences exist between races. Though risk differences were seen between races, race was not found to be a significant predictor in multivariate regression analysis after accounting for age, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, tumor type as stratified by WHO tumor grade. Age was the most consistent predictor in risk for death. Overall survival by race was significantly different (p=0.0049) only in low-grade gliomas after adjustment for age although survival differences were very slight. ^ Conclusion. Among this cohort of glioma patients, age was the strongest predictor for survival. It is likely that survival is more influenced by age, time to treatment, tumor grade and surgical expertise rather than racial differences. However, age at diagnosis, gender ratios, histology and history of cancer differed significantly between race and genetic differences to this effect cannot be excluded. ^

Risk factors for encephalitis and death from West Nile virus infection: An analysis of hospitalized cases in Houston, Texas from 2002--2008

We conducted a nested case-control study to determine the significant risk factors for developing encephalitis from West Nile virus (WNV) infection. The purpose of this research project was to expand the previously published Houston study of 2002–2004 patients to include data on Houston patients from four additional years (2005–2008) to determine if there were any differences in risk factors shown to be associated with developing the more severe outcomes of WNV infection, encephalitis and death, by having this larger sample size. A re-analysis of the risk factors for encephalitis and death was conducted on all of the patients from 2002–2008 and was the focus of this proposed research. This analysis allowed for the determination to be made that there are differences in the outcome in the risk factors for encephalitis and death with an increased sample size. Retrospective medical chart reviews were completed for the 265 confirmed WNV hospitalized patients; 153 patients had encephalitis (WNE), 112 had either viral syndrome with fever (WNF) or meningitis (WNM); a total of 22 patients died. Univariate logistic regression analyses on demographic, comorbidities, and social risk factors was conducted in a similar manner as in the previously conducted study to determine the risk factors for developing encephalitis from WNV. A multivariate model was developed by using model building strategies for the multivariate logistic regression analysis. The hypothesis of this study was that there would be additional risk factors shown to be significant with the increase in sample size of the dataset. This analysis with a greater sample size and increased power supports the hypothesis in that there were additional risk factors shown to be statistically associated with the more severe outcomes of WNV infection (WNE or death). Based on univariate logistic regression results, these data showed that even though age of 20–44 years was statistically significant as a protecting effect for developing WNE in the original study, the expanded sample lacked significance. This study showed a significant WNE risk factor to be chronic alcohol abuse, when it was not significant in the original analysis. Other WNE risk factors identified in this analysis that showed to be significant but were not significant in the original analysis were cancer not in remission > 5 years, history of stroke, and chronic renal disease. When comparing the two analyses with death as an outcome, two risk factors that were shown to be significant in the original analysis but not in the expanded dataset analysis were diabetes mellitus and immunosuppression. Three risk factors shown to be significant in this expanded analysis but were not significant in the original study were illicit drug use, heroin or opiate use, and injection drug use. However, with the multiple logistic regression models, the same independent risk factors for developing encephalitis of age and history of hypertension including drug induced hypertension were consistent in both studies.^

The relationship between calcium and fluoride intake, pregnancy and lactation and the risk of height loss in white women

This study was designed to investigate the effect of calcium and fluoride intake, and parity and lactation on the risk of spinal osteoporosis. Height loss was used as a surrogate measure for spinal fractures by taking advantage of documented changes in height found during the 25-year follow-up of the Charleston Heart Study cohort. Women who had lost 2-4" in height or who had no change in height during the follow-up period were defined as case and comparison subjects respectively. Calcium intake when the subjects were "about 25" and in the recent past, average intake of fluoride over 25 years, and parity and history of breastfeeding were ascertained by questionnaire from 54 case and 77 comparison subjects. Low calcium intake in the past decreased the risk of height loss (age-adjusted OR = 0.3, 95%CI: 0.1-0.96) although several potentially important confounding variables could not be adjusted for. There was no association between risk of height loss and present calcium intake (OR = 0.8, 95%CI: 0.3-2.6 for low versus high intake) after adjustment for past calcium intake. High fluoride intake decreased the risk of height loss (adjusted OR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.1-1.2). The effect of fluoride or calcium intake in the present was modified by the level of the other nutrient. Compared to a low intake of both calcium and fluoride, a high intake of one increased the risk of height loss (crude OR = 3.3 for high fluoride/low calcium, crude OR = 6.0 for high calcium/low fluoride) although a high intake of both was slightly protective (crude OR = 0.7). It is estimated that a "high" nutrient intake in this population was greater than 850mg/day for calcium and 2mg/day for fluoride. After adjustment for age, increasing parity decreased the risk of height loss in women who had never breastfed (OR = 0.2, 95%CI: 0.01-1.7 for 4 or more children). Women who had breastfed were also at lower risk of height loss than nulliparous women (OR = 0.3, 95%CI: 0.1-1.2 for 4 or more children) although at any level of parity, breastfeeding women had a greater risk of height loss than did non-breastfeeding women. ^

Late Quaternary carbonate and isotope stratigraphy of DSDP Site 90-594 east of South Island, New Zealand

The late Quaternary sequence off eastern South Island, New Zealand, consists of ~100 m of alternating bluish gray pelagic oozes and greenish gray hemipelagic oozes that extend uninterruptedly back to the Brunhes/Matuyama boundary (0.73 m.y.). A very high resolution (~2400 yr.) record of sediment texture, calcium carbonate content, and planktonic and benthic foraminiferal oxygen and carbon isotope composition demonstrates an in-phase cyclical fluctuation between the sedimentary parameters that closely correspond to the pelagic-hemipelagic sedimentation cycles and the isotope composition. Pelagic oozes, formed during interglacial periods of high eustatic sea level, are characterized by calcareous microfossils, relative enrichment in sand and clay sizes, high carbonate contents, reduced delta18O values, and increased delta13C values. Hemipelagic oozes, associated with glacial episodes and lowered eustatic sea level, include common terrigenous material and siliceous microfossils, are enriched in silt sizes, have low carbonate contents, high delta18O values, and low delta13C values. The history of alpine glaciations and associated erosion of the South Island of New Zealand, as expressed by the appearance of hemipelagic oozes, can be correlated directly with the major fluctuations of Northern Hemisphere ice sheets as expressed by the influence of eustatic sea-level changes on the oxygen isotope composition of both planktonic and benthic foraminifers. This high-accumulation-rate record contains conspicuous intervals of highfrequency, high-amplitude isotope variability including the presence of multiple glacial/interglacial intervals within single isotope stages, and offers one of the best sections cored to date for detailed study of the evolution and history of climate change over the last 0.75 m.y.