Mystical orientation and the perceiving process : a study among Anglican clergymen

This study examines the hypothesised link between mystical orientation and the perceiving process within the Jungian model of psychological type. Data were provided by 232 Anglican clergymen serving in the Church in Wales who completed both the Francis-Louden Mystical Orientation Scale and the Francis Psychological Type Scales. The data demonstrated that intuitive types recorded significantly higher scores than sensing types on the index of mystical orientation, supporting the hypothesis based on Ross' thesis

Non-commutative gauge theory on D-branes in Melvin Universes

Non-commutative gauge theory with a non-constant non-commutativity parameter can be formulated as a decoupling limit of open strings ending on D3-branes wrapping a Melvin universe. We construct the action explicitly and discuss various physical features of this theory. The decoupled field theory is not supersymmetric. Nonetheless, the Coulomb branch appears to remain flat at least in the large N and large 't Hooft coupling limit. We also find the analogue of Prasad-Sommerfield monopoles whose size scales with the non-commutativity parameter and is therefore position dependent.Comment: 15 pages, 1 figure, reference adde

A Calculable Toy Model of the Landscape

Motivated by recent discussions of the string-theory landscape, we propose field-theoretic realizations of models with large numbers of vacua. These models contain multiple U(1) gauge groups, and can be interpreted as deconstructed versions of higher-dimensional gauge theory models with fluxes in the compact space. We find that the vacuum structure of these models is very rich, defined by parameter-space regions with different classes of stable vacua separated by boundaries. This allows us to explicitly calculate physical quantities such as the supersymmetry-breaking scale, the presence or absence of R-symmetries, and probabilities of stable versus unstable vacua. Furthermore, we find that this landscape picture evolves with energy, allowing vacua to undergo phase transitions as they cross the boundaries between different regions in the landscape. We also demonstrate that supergravity effects are crucial in order to stabilize most of these vacua, and in order to allow the possibility of cancelling the cosmological constant.Comment: 49 pages, LaTeX, 13 figures, references adde

Die europäische Integration und die Kirchen

Nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg begann Europa zusammenzuwachsen. Dieser Band versammelt Beiträge internationaler Autoren, die aus historischer oder theologischer Sicht die Haltung der Päpste (Pius XII.), der englischen Kirche sowie der österreichischen und ausgewählter deutscher Bischöfe zu den Europäisierungsprozessen anschaulich machen. Die Beiträge beleuchten das Innenleben der Organe, die die Interessen der katholischen Kirche in Brüssel vertreten. Sie schlagen damit Schneisen in ein Forschungsfeld, das noch weitgehend unbearbeitet ist, dessen Relevanz sich aber jüngst in der Diskussion über den Gottesbezug in der Präambel des Europäischen Verfassungsvertrags gezeigt hat

PAR2 (protease-activated receptor 2) Deficiency Attenuates Atherosclerosis in Mice

Objective-PAR2 (protease-activated receptor 2)-dependent signaling results in augmented inflammation and has been implicated in the pathogenesis of several autoimmune conditions. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of PAR2 deficiency on the development of atherosclerosis. Approach and Resutle-PAR2 mRNA and protein expression is increased in human carotid artery and mouse aortic arch atheroma versus control carotid and aortic arch arteries, respectively. To determine the effect of PAR2 deficiency on atherosclerosis, male and female low-density lipoprotein receptor-deficient (Ldlr-/-) mice (8-12 weeks old) that were Par2+/+ or Par2-/- were fed a fat-and cholesterol-enriched diet for 12 or 24 weeks. PAR2 deficiency attenuated atherosclerosis in the aortic sinus and aortic root after 12 and 24 weeks. PAR2 deficiency did not alter total plasma cholesterol concentrations or lipoprotein distributions. Bone marrow transplantation showed that PAR2 on nonhematopoietic cells contributed to atherosclerosis. PAR2 deficiency significantly attenuated levels of the chemokines Ccl2 and Cxcl1 in the circulation and macrophage content in atherosclerotic lesions. Mechanistic studies using isolated primary vascular smooth muscle cells showed that PAR2 deficiency is associated with reduced Ccl2 and Cxcl1 mRNA expression and protein release into the supernatant resulting in less monocyte migration.Conclusion-Our results indicate that PAR2 deficiency is associated with attenuation of atherosclerosis and may reduce lesion progression by blunting Ccl2-and Cxcl1-induced monocyte infiltration

Cross‐cultural assessment of HIV‐associated cognitive impairment using the Kaufman assessment battery for children: a systematic review

Introduction: Despite improved efficacy of, and access to, combination antiretroviral therapy (cART), HIV‐associated cognitive impairments remain prevalent in both children and adults. Neuropsychological tests that detect such impairment can help clinicians formulate effective treatment plans. The Kaufman Assessment Battery for Children (KABC), although developed and standardized in the United States, is used frequently in many different countries and cultural contexts to assess paediatric performance across various cognitive domains. This systematic review investigated the cross‐cultural utility of the original KABC, and its 2nd edition (KABC‐II), in detecting HIV‐associated cognitive impairment in children and adolescents.Methods: We entered relevant keywords and MeSH terms into the PubMed, PsycInfo, EBSCOHost, ProQuest, and Scopus databases, with search limits set from 1983–2017. Two independent reviewers evaluated the retrieved abstracts and manuscripts. Studies eligible for inclusion in the review were those that (a) used the KABC/KABC‐II to assess cognitive function in children/adolescents aged 2–18 years, (b) featured a definition of cognitive impairment (e.g. >2 SD below the mean) or compared the performance of HIV‐infected and uninfected control groups, and (c) used a sample excluded from population on which the instruments were normed.Results and discussion: We identified nine studies (eight conducted in African countries, and one in the United Kingdom) to comprise the review’s sample. All studies detected cognitive impairment in HIV‐infected children, including those who were cART‐naïve or who were cART treated and clinically stable. KABC/KABC‐II subtests assessing simultaneous processing appeared most sensitive. Evaluation of the methodological quality of the selected studies by two independent reviews suggested that shortcomings included reporting and selection biases.Conclusions: This systematic review provides evidence for the cross‐cultural utility of the KABC/KABC‐II, particularly the simultaneous processing subtests, in detecting cognitive impairment in HIV‐infected children (including those who are clinically stable). Although the current results suggest there is justification for using the KABC/KABC‐II primarily in East Africa, further investigation is required to explore the instrument’s utility in other HIV‐prevalent regions of the globe.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138351/1/jia21412.pd

Analysis of the piggyBac transposase reveals a functional nuclear targeting signal in the 94 c-terminal residues

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The <it>piggyBac</it> transposable element is a popular tool for germ-line transgenesis of eukaryotes. Despite this, little is known about the mechanism of transposition or the transposase (TPase) itself. A thorough understanding of just how <it>piggyBac</it> works may lead to more effective use of this important mobile element. A PSORTII analysis of the TPase amino acid sequence predicts a bipartite nuclear localization signal (NLS) near the c-terminus, just upstream of a putative ZnF (ZnF).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We fused the <it>piggyBac</it> TPase upstream of and in-frame with the enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) in the <it>Drosophila melanogaster</it> inducible metallothionein protein. Using Drosophila Schneider 2 (S2) cells and the deep red fluorescent nuclear stain Draq5, we were able to track the pattern of <it>piggyBac</it> localization with a scanning confocal microscope 48 hours after induction with copper sulphate.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Through n and c-terminal truncations, targeted internal deletions, and specific amino acid mutations of the <it>piggyBac</it> TPase open reading frame, we found that not only is the PSORTII-predicted NLS required for the TPase to enter the nucleus of S2 cells, but there are additional requirements for negatively charged amino acids a short length upstream of this region for nuclear localization.</p

Genetic determinants of risk in pulmonary arterial hypertension:international genome-wide association studies and meta-analysis

Background: Rare genetic variants cause pulmonary arterial hypertension, but the contribution of common genetic variation to disease risk and natural history is poorly characterised. We tested for genome-wide association for pulmonary arterial hypertension in large international cohorts and assessed the contribution of associated regions to outcomes. Methods: We did two separate genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and a meta-analysis of pulmonary arterial hypertension. These GWAS used data from four international case-control studies across 11 744 individuals with European ancestry (including 2085 patients). One GWAS used genotypes from 5895 whole-genome sequences and the other GWAS used genotyping array data from an additional 5849 individuals. Cross-validation of loci reaching genome-wide significance was sought by meta-analysis. Conditional analysis corrected for the most significant variants at each locus was used to resolve signals for multiple associations. We functionally annotated associated variants and tested associations with duration of survival. All-cause mortality was the primary endpoint in survival analyses. Findings: A locus near SOX17 (rs10103692, odds ratio 1·80 [95% CI 1·55–2·08], p=5·13 × 10 –15 ) and a second locus in HLA-DPA1 and HLA-DPB1 (collectively referred to as HLA-DPA1/DPB1 here; rs2856830, 1·56 [1·42–1·71], p=7·65 × 10 –20 ) within the class II MHC region were associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. The SOX17 locus had two independent signals associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension (rs13266183, 1·36 [1·25–1·48], p=1·69 × 10 –12 ; and rs10103692). Functional and epigenomic data indicate that the risk variants near SOX17 alter gene regulation via an enhancer active in endothelial cells. Pulmonary arterial hypertension risk variants determined haplotype-specific enhancer activity, and CRISPR-mediated inhibition of the enhancer reduced SOX17 expression. The HLA-DPA1/DPB1 rs2856830 genotype was strongly associated with survival. Median survival from diagnosis in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension with the C/C homozygous genotype was double (13·50 years [95% CI 12·07 to &gt;13·50]) that of those with the T/T genotype (6·97 years [6·02–8·05]), despite similar baseline disease severity. Interpretation: This is the first study to report that common genetic variation at loci in an enhancer near SOX17 and in HLA-DPA1/DPB1 is associated with pulmonary arterial hypertension. Impairment of SOX17 function might be more common in pulmonary arterial hypertension than suggested by rare mutations in SOX17. Further studies are needed to confirm the association between HLA typing or rs2856830 genotyping and survival, and to determine whether HLA typing or rs2856830 genotyping improves risk stratification in clinical practice or trials. Funding: UK NIHR, BHF, UK MRC, Dinosaur Trust, NIH/NHLBI, ERS, EMBO, Wellcome Trust, EU, AHA, ACClinPharm, Netherlands CVRI, Dutch Heart Foundation, Dutch Federation of UMC, Netherlands OHRD and RNAS, German DFG, German BMBF, APH Paris, INSERM, Université Paris-Sud, and French ANR. </p