华南震旦纪-寒武纪两期成磷事件及其地球动力学意义

Phosphorus is an important biological and ecological element that to a certain degree constrains ecological environment and nutrient (including carbon) cycling. Marine sedimentary phosphorites are the principal phosphorus supply of the mankind. In the eastern to southern margins of the Yangtze Craton, South China, there are two phosphogenetic events at the Doushantuo stage of the Late Sinian and the Meishucun stage of the Early Cambrian respectively, corresponding two explosion events of life across the Precambrian\Cambrian boundary. Phosphorus ores from the Sinian and Cambrian phosphate in South China can be classified roughly into two categories, namely, grained and non-grained phosphorites. Grained phosphorites, hosted in dolostone type of phosphogenetic sequences and with larger industrial values, occur mainly in margins of the Upper Yangtze Platform, formed in shallow-water environments with high hydraulic energy and influenced by frequent sea-level change. Non-grained phosphorites, hosted principally in black-shale type of phosphogenetic sequences and with smaller industrial values, are distributed mainly in the Jiangnan region where deeper-water sub-basins with low hydraulic energy were prevailing at the time of phosphogenesis. Secular change ofδ~(13)C, δ~(18) O, ~(86)Sr/~(87)Sr values of carbonates from Sinian and Cambrian sequences were determined. A negative abnormal ofδ~(13)C, δ~(18)O values and positive abnormal of 86Sr/87Sr values from the fossiliferous section of the Lowest Cambrian Meishucun Formation implies life depopulation and following explosion of life across the PrecambriamCambrian boundary. Based on a lot of observations, this paper put forward a six-stage genetic model describing the whole formational process of industrial phosphorites: 1) Phosphorus was transported from continental weathering products and stored in the ocean; 2) dissolved phosphates in the seawater were enriched in specific deep seawater layer; 3) coastal upwelling currents took this phosphorus-rich seawater to a specific coastal area where phosphorus was captured by oceanic microbes; 4) clastic sediments in this upwelling area were enriched in phosphorus because of abundant phosphorus-rich organic matters and because of phosphorus absorption on grain surfaces; 5) during early diagenesis, the phosphorus enriched in the clastic sediments was released into interstitial water by decomposition and desorption, and then transported to the oxidation-reduction interface where authigenic phosphates were deposited and enriched; 6) such authigenic phosphate-rich layers were scoured, broken up, and winnowed in shallow-water environments resulting in phosphate enrichment. The Sinian-Cambrian phosphorites in South China are in many aspects comparable with coastal-upwelling phosphorites of younger geological ages, especially with phosphorites from modern coastal upwelling areas. That implies the similarities between the Sinian-Cambrian ocean and the modern ocean. Although Sinian-Cambrian oceanic life was much simpler than modern one, but similar oceanic planktons prevail, because oceanic planktons (particularly phytoplanktons) are crucial for phosphate enrichment related to coastal upwelling. It implies also a similar seawater-layering pattern between the Sinian-Cambrian ocean and the modern ocean. The two global phosphate-forming events and corresponding life-explosion events at the Sinian and Cambrian time probably resulted from dissolved-phosphate accumulation in seawater over a critical concentration during the Earth's evolution. Such an oceanic system with seawater phosphorus supersaturation is evidently unstable, and trends to return to normal state through phosphate deposition. Accordingly, this paper put forward a new conception of "normal state <=> phosphorus-supersaturation state" cycling of oceanic system. Such "normal state <=> phosphorus-supersaturation state" cycling was not only important for the three well-known global phosphate-forming events, also related to the critical moments of life evolution on the Earth. It might be of special significance. The favorable paleo-oceanic orientation in regard to coastal-upwelling phosphorite formation suggests a different orientation of the Yangtze Craton between the Sinian time and the present time (with a 135° clockwise difference), and a 25° anti-clockwise rotation of the Yangtze Craton from late Sinian to early Cambrian. During the Sinian-Cambrian time, the Yangtze Craton might be separated from the Cathaysia Block, but might be still associated with the North China Craton.

地磁场的西向漂移和差动旋转

The westward drift is one of the most important characteristics of the secular variations in the main geomagnetic field. The drift exists not only in the main field itself, but also in the secular variation field of the main field. Based on the International Geomagnetic Reference Field (IGRF) models for 1900-2000 and the secular variation model for the period 2000-2005, the characteristics of the westward drift are studied in this paper on several aspects, such as, the bulk rotation and differential rotation of the main field, the dipersion of the drift rates, as well as the westward drift in the secular variation field. The bulk drift and its temporal changes in the main field are analyzed. The results show that the average drift rate during 20th century is 0.183°/α, and the transitions of the drift rate are closely related with the occurrence of geomagnetic jerks. The calculation of the westward drift at various latitudes reveals a latitudinal dependence of the westward drift rate, implying that the geomagnetic field rotates in a differential fashion, instead of rigid rotation. The maximum westward drift is found near the 15°secular variation field of the main field is also discussed in this paper. The results show that the westward drift rate in the secular variation field is much larger than that in the main field. The drift rate of the geomagnetic potential is proposed to represente the westward drift of the whole geomagnetic field, after comparing the spatial patterns, temporal changes, behavior of the westward drift and rationality between the geomagnetic potential and geomagnetic components X, Y and Z.

中-新元古代海洋的硫和碳同位素的演化

Data on seawater carbon isotope in the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic is abundant. However, the sulfur isotopic age curve of seawater sulfates determined through the analysis of sulfur isotopic composition of marine evaporite is uncertain in the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic since evaporites are generally rare in Precambrian. The Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic Carbonate Formations preserve not only the carbon isotopic records, but also the sulfur isotopic records of coeval seawater in the Huabei Platform and the Yangtze Platform, China. Sulfur isotopic composition can be determined by the extraction of trace sulfate from carbonate samples. Successive measurements of sulfur and carbon isotopic compositions of carbonate samples from the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic strata in the Huabei Platform and the Yangtze Platform was accomplished through the extracting of trace sulfate from carbonates. Sulfur and carbon isotopic compositions of coeval seawater were obtained from analytical results of sulfur and carbon isotopes of the same sample without diagenetic alteration. The high-resolution age curve of sulfur isotope given in this paper may reflect the trend of variations in sulfur isotope composition of seawater sulfates during the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic. It can be correlated with the characteristics of variation in age curve of carbon isotope of coeval seawater carbonates. The δ34S values of seawater varied from +10.3-37.0‰ during the Mesoproterozoic, which took on oscillated variation on the whole. The δ34S values took on high values in the Mesoproterozoic Chuanlinggou stage, Tuanshanzi stage Tieling stage and in Neoproterozoic Jing'eryu stage. The average of those was about +30‰. The sulfates have low δ34S values in the Mesoproterozoic Yangzhuang stage and Hongshuizhuang stage, The average of those was all lower than +20‰. There occured large-amplitude changs in δ34S values of seawater during the Mesoproterozoic. Large-amplitude oscillate of 534S values occured in the intervals of 1600~1400Ma and 1300~1200Ma. The δ13C values of seawater are mostly negative in Changcheng stage of late Paleoproterozoic, -0 ± 1‰ range in Jixian stage of Mesoproterozoic , and the positive 2±2‰ commonly in early Neoproterozoic Jing'eryu stage. From 1000 Ma to 900 Ma, about 108 years interval of oceanic 513C record is shortage. At the end of Paleoproterozoic (1700 - 1600 Ma), the oceanic 813C values change from -3‰ to 0‰, but strongly oscillate near 1600 Ma. Two larger variations of seawater 513C values occur in the Mesoproterozoic: one is a cycle of about 4%o happens at ca. 1400 Ma; another is rise from >2‰ to>5‰ at ca. 1250 Ma and then become stable at the near 1000 Ma. There appears a large positive excursion over +20‰ in 534S value of ancient seawater sulfates in the early Doushantuo stage. Simultaneously, 8 C values of ancient seawater occur a positive excursion reaching 10‰. These allow δ4S values and 513C values to reach high values of+51.7‰ and +6.9‰, respectively. The range of variation in 834S values of seawater is relatively narrow and 513C values are quite high in the middle Doushantuo stage. Then, δ34S values of seawater become oscillating, the same happens in δ13C values. Negative excursions in 834S values and 813C values occur simultaneously at the end of the Doushantuo stage, and the minimum of δ34S values and δ13C values dropped to -11.3‰ and -5.7‰, respectively. The ancient seawater in the Dengying stage has high δS values and δ13C values. Most of the δ34S values of the trace sulfate samples varied between +23.6‰ and +37.9‰ except two boundaries of the Dengying Formation, and the S13C values of the carbonate samples of the Dengying Formation varied between +0.5‰ and +5.0‰. There appeared large negative excursion in 834S values and δ13C values of ancient seawater at the bounder of Precambrian-Cambrian. The isotopic characteristics of sulfur and carbon implicated that the organic productivity and isotopic fractionation caused by biology were low and the palaeoceanic environment was quite unstable during the Mesoproterozoic. The increase and subsequent oscillation of seawater δ13C value occurred from 1700 to 1600 Ma and near 1300 Ma may be responsible to the two global tectonic events happened at coeval time. The characteristics of variation in sulfur and carbon isotopes of ancient seawater imply strong changes in oceanic environment, which became beneficial to inhabitation and propagation of organism. The organic production and the burial rate of organic carbon once reached a quite high level during the Doushantuo stage. However, the state of environment became unstable that means the global climate and the environment possibly were fluctuating and reiterating after the global glaciation. The negative excursions of S34S values and δ13C values occurring at the end of the Doushantuo stage represent a global event, which might be relative to the oxidation of deep seawater. The isotopic characteristics of sulfur and carbon implicated that there were a high organic productivity and a high burial rate of organic carbon in the Dengying stage. It is obvious that the palaeoceanic environment in Dengying stage was stable corresponding and beneficial for biology to inhabit and propagate except for the two boundaries. The tendency of sulfur and carbon isotopic variations maybe resulted from the gradual oxygenation of ocean environment during the Dengying stage. It has been reported that the secular variations of the sulfur isotopic compositions in seawater was negative correlated with that of carbon isotopic compositions. However, our results show that it is not the case. They were negatively correlated in some intervals and positively in some other intervals of the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic. The difference in correlation may be associated with the changes in conditions of redox in oceanic environment, e.g. sharp change of the oxidation-reduction interface. The strong changes in global environment may induce the abnormality to occur in the biogeo chemical S and C cycles in the ocean and accordingly sharp Variations in isotopic composition of seawater sulfur and carbon during the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic. Simultaneously, the global tectonism caused large changes of 87Sr/86Sr ratios. The leading factor that causes the variation in isotopic composition is different in the different intervals of the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic. Thus, there may exist different models of the biogeochemical S and C cycles in the ocean during the Mesoproterozoic and Neoproterozoic.

西南天山托云盆地白垩-新生代古地磁结果及其构造意义

Western China is regarded as an assemblage of blocks or microplates. The India/Asia postcollisional kinematics of these blocks has attracted many geologists to pay attentions, especially on the geodynamics and intracontinental deformation of Tibetan and adjoining parts of central Asia. So far there are still many debates on the amount of continental shortening and extrusion within Western China blocks. Paleomagnetism plays a very important role in the paleogeographic reconstruction and depiction of kinematics of the blocks, however the unequilibrium of paleomagentic data obtained from Western China prevents paleomagnetists from studying the kinematics and intracontinental deformation on the Tibetan plateau and the central Asia. Moreover, shallower inclinations observed in the Cretaceous and Cenozoic terrestrial red sediments in central Asia makes it difficult to precisely estimate the northward convergence of Tibetan plateau and its adjacent areas since the onset of the Indian/Asian collision. In this thesis, detailed rock magnetic, chronological and paleomagnetic studies have been carried out on the Tuoyun Basin in the southwestern Tianshan to discuss the possible continental shortening and tectonic movements since the Cretaceous-Tertiary. Ar-Ar geochronological study has been conducted on the upper and lower basalt series from the Tuoyun Basin, yielding that the lower and upper basalt series were extruded during 115-113 Ma and 61.8-56.9 Ma, respectively. Both the age spectrum and inverse isochron show that the samples from the upper and lower basalt series have experienced no significant thermal events since extrusion of the baslts. Rock magnetic studies including temperature dependence of magnetization and susceptibility during a heating-cooling cycle from temperature up to 600 ℃ suggest that the baslt samples from the lower and upper basalt series are ferromagnetically predominant of magnetite and a subordinate hematite with a few sites of titanomagnetite. The predominant magnetic mineral of the intercalated red beds is magnetite and hematite. Anisotropy of magnetic susceptibility shows that both the baslts and the intercalated red beds are unlikely to have undergone significant strain due to compaction or tectonic stress since formation of the rocks. The stable characteristic remanent magnetization (ChRM) isolated from the most samples of the upper and lower basalt series and intercalated red beds, passes fold test at the 99% confidence level. Together with the geochronological results, we interpret the characteristic component as a primary magnetization acquired in the formation of rocks. Some sites from both the upper and lower basalts yielded shallower inclinations than the reference field computed from the Eurasia APW, we prefer to argue that these shallow inclinations might be related to geomagnetic secular variation, whereas the shallow inclination in the intercalated red beds is likely to be related to detrital remanent magnetization. Paleomagnetic results from the early Cretaceous-Paleogene basalts indicate that no significant N-S convergence has taken place between the Tuoyun Basin and the south margin of Siberia. Furthermore, the Cretaceous and Tertiary paleomagnetic results suggest that the Tuoyun Basin was subjected to a local clockwise rotation of 20°-30° with respect to Eurasia since the Paleocene time, which is probably subsequent to the Cenozoic northward compression of the Pamir arc.

东南极内陆格罗夫山和外缘拉斯曼丘陵地区基岩暴露年龄及其古气候含义

This paper is concerned of the I0Be and 26A1 exposure ages of bedrocks in the Grove Mountains (GMs), inland of East Antarctica, and in the Larsemann Hills, peripheral alongshore of East Antarctica, respectively. The results of our study indicate that the higher bedrock samples in two profiles in the GMs have minimum exposure ages of-2 Ma, and their 26Al/10Be can be projected into the erosion island, which means they only have simple exposure history. The actual exposure ages may be mid-late Pliocene because the bedrocks should have erosion. The relationship between the altitudes and cosmogenic nuclide concentrations of those higher samples suggests that they have not reached secular equilibrium, means that a higher than -2300m East Antarctic Ice Sheet (EAIS) existed in the GMs before mid-Pliocene, and decreased monotonously for a period since mid-Pliocene. Lower samples of the two profiles have much younger exposure ages, and had been covered at least once obviously implicated by that their 26Al/10Be are projected down to the erosion island. Using a 10Be-26Al project figure to determine the history of the GMs samples shows that the lower samples have minimum total initial exposure and cover time of 1.7-2.8Ma, suggesting that those samples were exposed initially since about late Pliocene too, and the interior EAIS fluctuated after late Plicoene obviously. The altitudes and exposure ages of all the GMs samples indicate that the ice surface level of the interior EAIS in the GMs was >2300m during or before mid Pliocene (more than 200m higher than present ice surface level), and only rose to -2200m during the fluctuation occurred after late Pliocene, thus the elevation of the interior EAIS in the GMs after mid-Pliocene was never higher than during or before mid Pliocene even during the Quaternary Glacial Maximum. According to data from the GMs and other parts of East Antarctica, a larger East Antarctic Ice Sheet existed before mid-Pliocene, thus the elevation decrease of interior EAIS in the GMs after mid Pliocene may be a director of volume decrease of the EAIS. Since the Antarctic climate has a cooling trend since ~3Ma, similar to the global climate change, the volume decrease of the EAIS since mid-Pliocene may beause of moisture supply decrease directly rather than atmosphere temperature change. As for the Larsemann Hills, samples farther to the glacier have exposure age of 40~50ka, means they exposed in the early time of Last Glacier Cycle, obviously earlier than the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM). Samples nearer to the glacier have exposure ages younger than LGM. Thus, different to the GMs, exposure ages of the Larsemann Hills samples have more obvious relationship to their distance from the glacier margin rather than to the altitudes of the samples.

Hamas in Politics: Democracy, Religion, Violence

Gunning, Jeroen, Hamas in Politics: Democracy, Religion, Violence (London: Hurst Publishers Ltd, 2007), pp.xiv+310 RAE2008

Approaching the Unapproached Light: Milton and the Romantic Visionary

Shears, J. (2006). Approaching the Unapproached Light: Milton and the Romantic Visionary. In G. Hopps and J. Stabler (Eds.), Romanticism and Religion from William Cowper to Wallace Stevens (pp.25-40). The Nineteenth Century Series. Aldershot: Ashgate. RAE2008

A Theological Challenge: Coordinating Biological, Social, and Religious Visions of Humanity

This paper attempts two tasks. First, it sketches how the natural sciences (including especially the biological sciences), the social sciences, and the scientific study of religion can be understood to furnish complementary, consonant perspectives on human beings and human groups. This suggests that it is possible to speak of a modern secular interpretation of humanity (MSIH) to which these perspectives contribute (though not without tensions). MSIH is not a comprehensive interpretation of human beings, if only because it adopts a posture of neutrality with regard to the reality of religious objects and the truth of theological claims about them. MSIH is certainly an impressively forceful interpretation, however, and it needs to be reckoned with by any perspective on human life that seeks to insert its truth claims into the arena of public debate. Second, the paper considers two challenges that MSIH poses to specifically theological interpretations of human beings. On the one hand, in spite of its posture of religious neutrality, MSIH is a key element in a class of wider, seemingly antireligious interpretations of humanity, including especially projectionist and illusionist critiques of religion. It is consonance with MSIH that makes these critiques such formidable competitors for traditional theological interpretations of human beings. On the other hand, and taking the religiously neutral posture of MSIH at face value, theological accounts of humanity that seek to coordinate the insights of MSIH with positive religious visions of human life must find ways to overcome or manage such dissonance as arises. The goal of synthesis is defended as important, and strategies for managing these challenges, especially in light of the pluralism of extant philosophical and theological interpretations of human beings, are advocated.

Reading Between the Lines: The Potential of Popular Young Adult Fiction in Adolescent Spiritual Formation

Popular culture is a powerful, shaping force in the lives of teenagers between the ages of fourteen through eighteen in the United States today. This dissertation argues the importance of popular fiction for adolescent spiritual formation and it investigates that importance by exploring the significance of narrative for theology and moral formation. The dissertation employs mythic and archetypal criticism as a tool for informing the selection and critique of narratives for use in adolescent spiritual development and it also incorporates insights gained from developmental psychology to lay the groundwork for the development of a curriculum that uses young adult fiction in a program of spiritual formation for teenagers in a local church setting. The dissertation defends the power of narrative in Christian theology and concludes that narrative shapes the imagination in ways that alter perception and are important for the faith life of teenagers in particular. I go on to argue that not all narratives are created equal. In using literary myth criticism in concert with theology, I use the two disciplines’ different aims and methods to fully flesh out the potential of theologies intrinsic to works meant for a largely secular audience. The dissertation compares various works of young adult fiction (M.T. Anderson’s Feed and Terry Pratchett’s Nation in dialogue with a theology of creation; Marcus Zusak’s I am the Messenger and Jerry Spinelli’s Stargirl in dialogue with salvation and saviors; and the four novels of Stephanie Meyer’s Twilight saga in dialogue with a theology of hope (eschatology). The dissertation explores how each theme surfaces (even if only implicitly) from both literary and theological standpoints. The dissertation concludes with a sample four-week lesson plan that demonstrates one way the theological and literary critique can be formed into a practical curriculum for use in an adolescent spiritual development setting. Ultimately, this dissertation provides a framework for how practitioners of young adult formation can select, analyze, and develop materials for their teenagers using new works of popular young adult fiction. The dissertation comes to the conclusion that popular fiction contains a wealth of material that can challenge and shape young readers’ own emerging theology.

Betha Cholmáin maic Luacháin: an ecclesiastical microcosm of the twelfth-century Irish midlands

Betha Cholmáin maic Luacháin (BCh) is a key source of information about a small ecclesiastical community of the Irish midlands in the medieval period. BCh is one of the longest medieval Irish hagiographic texts. A sole copy exists. Scholarly concern with manuscript Rennes 598, and the Life of Colmán therein, diminished following the 1911 edition of BCh. The most attention paid to BCh in the following decades focused largely on its onomastic information. The necessary detailed study of the text has not been undertaken. The present work is an initial view of significant areas of interaction between the church of Lann and its ecclesiastical, social and political milieu. While social and cultural aspects of the text may constitute the focus of this study, linguistic data is also investigated, complementary to evidence regarding its social and political testimony. In this way, light is cast on a complex ecclesiastical microcosm in the twelfth-century Irish midlands. In keeping with recent methodological work in the field a variety of tools are used to aid investigation, and to show the Life within its genre and wider context. An interdisciplinary approach will bring together strands of literary, cultural, archaeological, onomastic, historical, geographical, genealogical and hagiographical information, with reference to linguistic evidence where appropriate. This thesis seeks to suggest a template for studies undertaken on smaller church communities, and is set out in two main sections. The first section investigates the figure of the saint, his life, church, the manuscript source and the combination of prose and verse in the text. The second section examines the testimony of the Life regarding the ecclesiastical and secular concerns of the community of Lann, and how these concerns are represented. Evidence regarding the members of this community and their interaction with the church and the wider world is also discussed.

Representations of Catholicism in selected works by Colm Tóibín

The aim of this thesis is to provide an original and extensive study of Colm Tóibín as the “secular revisionist who acknowledges Catholicism as an enduring element of Irish society” (Ryan, Ireland and Scotland 251). Tóibín is uniquely placed to interpret many aspects of Ireland in the latter half of the twentieth century and I will argue that intertwined with his revisionism of Irish history is a reimagining of Ireland and Catholicism in fictive terms. An extensive amount of material from Tóibín’s time as a journalist and travel writer will feature in my research because it validates my argument concerning his prolonged engagement with Catholicism. Similarly, a broad range of Tóibín’s prose will be studied because it affords opportunities for an exploration of a literary Catholic oeuvre in his fiction. Therefore, I am emphasizing that a crucial linkage of Catholicism is identifiable throughout Tóibín’s diverse canon of work. However, I will argue that divergences of attitude and mode can be found in how Tóibín depicts Catholicism in his journalism and fiction. My argument identifies Tóibín’s recurrent journalistic questioning of the Church’s teaching and leadership but I classify a benignity towards Catholicism in his travel writing and fiction. Overall, Tóibín’s fiction merits significant status in this thesis because of the representations of Catholicism in the work of a writer who has been short-listed three times for The Booker Prize.

Theme and variations: Christianity and regional landscapes in early medieval Ireland

This thesis explores the impact of Christianity on the landscape in Ireland from the conversion period to the coming of the Anglo-Normans. The premise is that ecclesiastical and secular settlement formed a cohesive whole which characterised the societal organisation of early medieval Ireland. The matter of the thesis is to isolate some of the agents of cohesion to see was this homogenous or did it vary in different areas. One of these agents was the ownership of land and the thesis undertakes to identify ecclesiastical landholding and examine the manner of settlement on it. A corollary is to explore the contribution of the genealogical link between kin-group, founding saint and territory to the construction of local identities. This necessitated a narrow focus; thus small study areas were chosen, which approximated to early medieval kingdoms in North Louth, Rathdown, Co Dublin and Ross, Co Cork. A multidisciplinary approach was taken using both archaeological and documentary evidence. The thesis found ecclesiastical sites were at the same density through the study areas, but there were considerable regional variations in related secular settlement. Ecclesiastical estates were identified in the three study areas and common settlement patterns were found in two of them. Settlement in all areas indicated the foundation of minor churches by local groups. Ecclesiastical sites were found to be integral to kin-group identity and status, but the manner in which each group negotiated this, was very different. Finally the thesis examined material evidence for a change from diffused to concentrated power in the political organisation of Irish society, a process entwined with developments of the Viking Age. This centralisation of power and associated re-formation of identity was still often mediated through the ecclesiastical sphere but the thesis demonstrates diversity in the materialising of the mediation.

Lower extremity amputation in people with diabetes: Trends and determinants

Introduction: The prevalence of diabetes is rising rapidly. Assessing quality of diabetes care is difficult. Lower Extremity Amputation (LEA) is recognised as a marker of the quality of diabetes care. The focus of this thesis was first to describe the trends in LEA rates in people with and without diabetes in the Republic of Ireland (RoI) in recent years and then, to explore the determinants of LEA in people with diabetes. While clinical and socio-demographic determinants have been well-established, the role of service-related factors has been less well-explored. Methods: Using hospital discharge data, trends in LEA rates in people with and without diabetes were described and compared to other countries. Background work included concordance studies exploring the reliability of hospital discharge data for recording LEA and diabetes and estimation of diabetes prevalence rates in the RoI from a nationally representative study (SLAN 2007). To explore determinants, a systematic review and meta-analysis assessed the effect of contact with a podiatrist on the outcome of LEA in people with diabetes. Finally, a case-control study using hospital discharge data explored determinants of LEA in people with diabetes with a particular focus on the timing of access to secondary healthcare services as a risk factor. Results: There are high levels of agreement between hospital discharge data and medical records for LEA and diabetes. Thus, hospital discharge data was deemed sufficiently reliable for use in this PhD thesis. A decrease in major diabetes-related LEA rates in people with diabetes was observed in the RoI from 2005-2012. In 2012, the relative risk of a person with diabetes undergoing a major LEA was 6.2 times (95% CI 4.8-8.1) that of a person without diabetes. Based on the systematic review and meta-analysis, contact with a podiatrist did not significantly affect the relative risk (RR) of LEA in people with diabetes. Results from the case-control study identified being single, documented CKD and documented hypertension as significant risk factors for LEA in people with diabetes whilst documented retinopathy was protective. Within the seven year time window included in the study, no association was detected between LEA in patients with diabetes and timing of patient access to secondary healthcare for diabetes management. Discussion: Many countries have reported reduced major LEA rates in people with diabetes coinciding with improved organisation of healthcare systems. Reassuringly, these first national estimates in people with diabetes in the RoI from 2005 to 2012 demonstrated reducing trends in major LEA rates. This may be attributable to changes in diabetes care and also, secular trends in smoking, dyslipidaemia and hypertension. Consistent with international practice, LEA trends data in Ireland can be used to monitor quality of care. Quantifying this improvement precisely, though, is problematic without robust denominator data on the prevalence of diabetes. However, a reduction in major diabetes-related LEA rates suggests improved quality of diabetes care. Much controversy exists around the reliability of hospital discharge data in the RoI. This thesis includes the first multi-site study to explore this issue and found hospital discharge data reliable for the reporting of the procedure of LEA and diagnosis of diabetes. This project did not detect protective effects of access to services including podiatry and secondary healthcare for LEA in people with diabetes. A major limitation of the systematic review and meta-analysis was the design and quality of the included studies. The data available in the area of effect of contact with a podiatrist on LEA risk are too sparse to say anything definitive about the efficacy of podiatry on LEA. Limitations of the case-control study include lack of a diabetes register in Ireland, restricted information from secondary healthcare and lack of data available from primary healthcare. Due to these issues, duration of disease could not be accounted for in the study which limits the conclusions that can be drawn from the results. The model of diabetes care in the RoI is currently undergoing a re-configuration with plans to introduce integrated care. In the future, trends in LEA rates should be continuously monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of changes to the healthcare system. Efforts are already underway to improve the availability of routine data from primary healthcare with the recent development of the iPCRN (Irish Primary Care Research Network). Linkage of primary and secondary healthcare records with a unique patient identifier should be the goal for the future.

Creating religious place in Ireland: Hindu public places of worship and the Indian sculpture park

This paper examines the creation of religious place. It argues that the designation of a place as “religious” is a subjective and creative act which is dependent upon the perception and past, or memory, of the viewer. The paper focuses specifically on the creation of public places of worship by Hindu groups in the Dublin city area of Ireland and on the varied perceptions of the Indian Sculpture Park in County Wicklow. The creation of public places of worship results in places classified as “religious” due to the intention of the creator, the terminology used and the types of activities that take place in the space. This is in contrast to places such as the Indian Sculpture Park in County Wicklow which was created as a secular space but which is viewed by some Hindus as an outdoor temple due to the presence of sculptures of the Hindu deity Ganesh. Other Hindus do not view the space as having any religious significance and so its religiosity is contested. This points to the fact that the creation of religious place is a creative act of interpretation which is dependent upon the perception and past of the viewer and which changes over time.

Invasive fungal infections among organ transplant recipients: results of the Transplant-Associated Infection Surveillance Network (TRANSNET).

BACKGROUND: Invasive fungal infections (IFIs) are a major cause of morbidity and mortality among organ transplant recipients. Multicenter prospective surveillance data to determine disease burden and secular trends are lacking. METHODS: The Transplant-Associated Infection Surveillance Network (TRANSNET) is a consortium of 23 US transplant centers, including 15 that contributed to the organ transplant recipient dataset. We prospectively identified IFIs among organ transplant recipients from March, 2001 through March, 2006 at these sites. To explore trends, we calculated the 12-month cumulative incidence among 9 sequential cohorts. RESULTS: During the surveillance period, 1208 IFIs were identified among 1063 organ transplant recipients. The most common IFIs were invasive candidiasis (53%), invasive aspergillosis (19%), cryptococcosis (8%), non-Aspergillus molds (8%), endemic fungi (5%), and zygomycosis (2%). Median time to onset of candidiasis, aspergillosis, and cryptococcosis was 103, 184, and 575 days, respectively. Among a cohort of 16,808 patients who underwent transplantation between March 2001 and September 2005 and were followed through March 2006, a total of 729 IFIs were reported among 633 persons. One-year cumulative incidences of the first IFI were 11.6%, 8.6%, 4.7%, 4.0%, 3.4%, and 1.3% for small bowel, lung, liver, heart, pancreas, and kidney transplant recipients, respectively. One-year incidence was highest for invasive candidiasis (1.95%) and aspergillosis (0.65%). Trend analysis showed a slight increase in cumulative incidence from 2002 to 2005. CONCLUSIONS: We detected a slight increase in IFIs during the surveillance period. These data provide important insights into the timing and incidence of IFIs among organ transplant recipients, which can help to focus effective prevention and treatment strategies.