Playing with 'peng' in Tai-chi Boxing

'Peng' (pronounced 'pung'), or 'ward-off,' as it roughly translates, is one ofthe thirteen 'shi' or core postureslprinciples ofthe Chinese meditative, selfhealing and martial art ofTaijiquan (T'ai-chi Ch'uan). This paper describes a particular 'peng' training drill, simply called the 'peng-drill', created by a small group ofTaiji Boxing practitioners in Australia. The analysis draws on the work ofcultural theorist Paul Willis, and recent scholarship within the sociology ofthe body that builds on Willis' work, most notably the work ofAIan Radley. It is argued that 'peng-dril/' evidences a particular opening out ofor 'playing with' the 'objective possibilities' ofTaijiquan as a practice. 'Peng-drill' is depicted as afonn of 'sensuous meaning making'-body-out as it were-through which practitioners generate and conftgure meanings and hence salient body-self-identities, or rather bodily sensibilities: as Taiji practitioners-

Intraorbital anatomy of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

This is the first documented study of the anatomical details of the contents of the normal koala orbit, excluding the bulbus oculi. Baseline data were established which are necessary for understanding and treating ocular disease in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The anatomy of the orbital contents of the koala were examined and described from animals that presented dead or were euthanized for humane reasons. Dissections of the orbital cavity were performed under magnification. Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) casts of the nasolacrimal system and the vascular supply of the orbit were also made in order to study these systems. The superficial lymphatic drainage of the conjunctival tissues was studied by subcutaneous injection of Evan's Blue into the palpebral conjunctiva of a freshly deceased animal, and by Microfil casts of the efferent lymphatics. In general, the orbital contents of the koala are consistent with those of other carnivorous polyprotodont and herbivorous diprotodont marsupials.

Bony orbital anatomy of the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus)

This is the first documented study of the anatomical details of the normal koala orbit. Baseline data are established which are necessary for understanding and treating ocular disease in the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus). The bony anatomy of the orbit of the koala was examined and described from animals that presented dead or had been euthanized for humane reasons. Dissections of the orbital cavity were performed under magnification, and descriptions of the orbital bones were from macerated skulls that had been boiled and cleaned, In general, the orbital bones of the koala, and their respective foramina, are consistent with those of other carnivorous polyprotodont and herbivorous diprotodont marsupials.

Current concepts - Schistosomiasis

In 1851, Theodor Bilharz described a parasitic infection (bilharzia) that would later be termed schistosomiasis. Currently, 200 million people in 74 countries have this disease; 120 million of them have symptoms, and 20 million have severe illness.1 Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic trematode worms (schistosomes) that reside in the abdominal veins of their vertebrate definitive hosts. The life cycle of the schistosome is depicted in Figure 1. Schistosomiasis is 1 of the 10 tropical diseases especially targeted for control by the Special Program for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases of the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Quantitative trait loci for agronomic and seed quality traits in an F-2 and F-4 : 6 soybean population

Molecular breeding is becoming more practical as better technology emerges. The use of molecular markers in plant breeding for indirect selection of important traits can favorably impact breeding efficiency. The purpose of this research is to identify quantitative trait loci (QTL) on molecular linkage groups (MLG) which are associated with seed protein concentration, seed oil concentration, seed size, plant height, lodging, and maturity, in a population from a cross between the soybean cultivars 'Essex' and 'Williams.' DNA was extracted from F-2 generation soybean leaves and amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR) using simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers. Markers that were polymorphic between the parents were analyzed against phenotypic trait data from the F-2 and F-4:6 generation. For the F-2 population, significant additive QTL were Satt540 (MLG M, maturity, r(2)=0.11; height, r(2)=0.04, seed size, r(2)=0.061, Satt373 (MLG L, seed size, r(2)=0.04; height, r(2)=0.14), Satt50 (MLG A1, maturity r(2)=0.07), Satt14 (MLG D2, oil, r(2)=0.05), and Satt251 (protein r(2)=0.03, oil, r(2)=0.04). Significant dominant QTL for the F-2 population were Satt540 (MLG M, height, r(2)=0.04; seed size, r(2)=0.06) and Satt14 (MLG D2, oil, r(2)=0.05). In the F-4:6 generation significant additive QTL were Satt239 (MLG I, height, r(2)=0.02 at Knoxville, TN and r(2)=0.03 at Springfield, TN), Satt14 (MLG D2, seed size, r(2)=0.14 at Knoxville, TN), Satt373 (MLG L, protein, r(2)=0.04 at Knoxville, TN) and Satt251 (MLG B I, lodging r(2)=0.04 at Springfield, TN). Averaged over both environments in the F-4:6 generation, significant additive QTL were identified as Satt251 (MLG B 1, protein, r(2)=0.03), and Satt239 (MLG 1, height, r(2)=0.03). The results found in this study indicate that selections based solely on these QTL would produce limited gains (based on low r(2) values). Few QTL were detected to be stable across environments. Further research to identify stable QTL over environments is needed to make marker-assisted approaches more widely adopted by soybean breeders.

NEW Solutions: An Australian health promotion programme for people with mental illness

The prevalence of people who are overweight or obese is continuing to rise. This is a key risk indicator of preventable morbidity and mortality resulting from many diseases. The increase in the number of obese people is associated with dietary practices and a reduction in physical activity. There is a need to implement strategies for the reduction of obesity in at-risk groups. People with a mental illness are at high risk of many physical illnesses related to behavioural factors, which include poor diet and lack of exercise. Health promotion programmes need to be incorporated into mental-health services to improve the general health and wellbeing of people with a mental illness. An Australian psychiatric rehabilitation service developed and implemented a health promotion programme, NEW Solutions, which aimed to address issues related to weight gain, dietary practice and physical inactivity.

Core outcome domains for chronic pain clinical trials: IMMPACT recommendations

Objective. To provide recommendations for the core outcome domains that should be considered by investigators conducting clinical trials of the efficacy and effectiveness of treatments for chronic pain. Development of a core set of outcome domains would facilitate comparison and pooling of data, encourage more complete reporting of outcomes, simplify the preparation and review of research proposals and manuscripts, and allow clinicians to make informed decisions regarding the risks and benefits of treatment. Methods. Under the auspices of the Initiative on Methods, Measurement, and Pain Assessment in Clinical Trials (IMMPACT), 27 specialists from academia. governmental agencies, and the pharmaceutical industry participated in a consensus meeting and identified core outcome domains that should be considered in clinical trials of treatments for chronic pain. Conclusions. There was a consensus that chronic pain clinical trials should assess outcomes representing six core domains: (1) pain, (2) physical functioning, (3) emotional functioning, (4) participant ratings of improvement and satisfaction with treatment, (5) symptoms and adverse events, (6) participant disposition (e.g. adherence to the treatment regimen and reasons for premature withdrawal from the trial). Although consideration should be given to the assessment of each of these domains, there may be exceptions to the general recommendation to include all of these domains in chronic pain trials. When this occurs, the rationale for not including domains should be provided. It is not the intention of these recommendations that assessment of the core domains should be considered a requirement for approval of product applications by regulatory agencies or that a treatment must demonstrate statistically significant effects for all of the relevant core domains to establish evidence of its efficacy. (C) 2003 International Association for the Study of Pain.