Denomination, Religious Context, and Suicide: Neo-Durkheimian Multilevel Explanations Tested with Individual and Contextual Data

In Suicide, Durkheim found that involvement in religious communities is inversely related to suicide risk. In this article, two explanations for this relationship are examined. One is that religious networks provide support. The other is that religious communities prohibit suicide. To examine these hypotheses, individual-level data on suicide in the Netherlands from 1936 to 1973 are used. The results show that with an increase in the proportion of religious persons in a municipality, the chances of committing suicide decrease for every denomination in that municipality, as well as among nonchurch members. Furthermore, along with the secularization of Dutch society, the impact of religious composition on suicide wanes. These results contradict the network-support mechanism and confirm the notion that religious communities have a general protective effect against suicide.

Individual preferences, social mobility and electoral outcomes

This paper models data for the Netherlands in the 1970s on prestige of male's occupation, occupational prestige of the father and ‘left/right’ score of the political party he prefers. One set of hypotheses holds that individuals behave according to economic self-interest, another set postulates a status motive. The former specify additive effects, the latter interaction effects. It is argued that these hypotheses have to be tested with Diagonal Mobility Models. A result of their application is that an economic diagonal model fits best.\ud \ud This paper also discusses macroimplications of these models for individual data. To determine macroeffects of status models, it is necessary to ascertain the total percentage of mobile persons in a society. For the macro-application of economic models, the amount of mobility necessitated by a country's opportunity structure is relevant. The latter is much smaller than the former. As an economic model was corroborated, macroeffects of social mobility on a society's political outcome are smaller than might have been suspected

Inhibin : its role in the regulation of the pituitary-testis axis.

The endocrine and exocrine functions of the male gonads, the testes, are regulated by gonadotrophic hormones which are secreted by the pituitary gland. Two separate gonadotrophic hormones have been recognized: luteinizing hormone (LH) which influences Leydig cell function, and follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) which affects the function of the seminiferous tubules. The secretion of gonadotrophins is stimulated by a hypothalamic factor, luteinizing hormone-releasing hormone (LH-RH) and can be inhibited by steroid hormones which are secreted by the testes. The existence of another hormone which is produced by the seminiferous tubules in the testis and also influences the pituitary gland in males has been suspected for many years (Mottram & Cramer, 1923). This principle appeared to be a non steroidal factor and has been called "inhibin" by McCullagh (1932). The reality and significance of the inhibin concept has been much debated and has received increasing attention during the past ten years (see chapter 2). A schematic diagram on the interactions between stimulating and inhibiting substances in the regulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular axis is shown in figure 1.1. The aim of the investigations, described in this thesis was to examine the regulation of inhibin production in and inhibin secretion from testicular tissue and to investigate the physiological significance of this protein hormone in male reproduction

Het homohuwelijk na invoering:voor- en tegenstanders

Gay marriage after its introduction: supporters and objectors Sixty-five percent of the Dutch population disagrees largely or completely with the statement that gay marriage should be abolished, whereas sixteen percent agrees to it. In this article, we show which characteristics increase the likelihood to reject gay marriage. With information on family of origin, we show that the perception of mother’s attitude towards homosexuality during one’s youth strongly affects rejecting gay marriage. But the strongest determinant comes from socialization by ways of religious institutions. Here, attending religious services is more important than the distinction between various denominations. A lower education enhances particularly the chance to be neutral regarding abolishing gay marriage, whereas field of education has no effect. Moreover, we show that men and non-western immigrants have a larger likelihood to reject gay marriage

Chemical Composition and in Vitro Evaluation of the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Activities of Eucalyptus gillii Essential Oil and Extracts

In this study, essential oil and various extracts (hexane, petroleum ether, acetone, ethanol, methanol and water) of Eucalyptus gilii were screened for their chemical composition, antimicrobial and antioxidant activities. The essential oil chemical composition was analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and gas chromatography-flame ionization detection (GC-FID), respectively. Thirty four compounds were identified, corresponding to 99.5% of the total essential oil. Tannins [104.9-251.3 g catechin equivalent (CE)/Kg dry mass], flavonoids [3.3-34.3 g quercetin equivalent (QE)/Kg dry mass], phenolics [4.7-216.6 g gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/Kg dry mass] and anthocyannins [1.2-45.3 mg cyanidin-3-glucoside equivalent (C3GE)/Kg dry mass] of various extracts were investigated. Free radical scavenging capacity of all samples was determinedt. In the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay, the IC50 of essential oil was 163.5 ± 10.7 mg/L and in the 2,2'-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonate (ABTS) assay, it was 94.7 ± 7.1 mg/L. Among the various extracts, the water extract showed the best result (IC50 = 11.4 ± 0.6 mg/L) in the DPPH assay which was comparable to vitamin C (IC50 = 4.4 ± 0.2 mg/L). The antimicrobial activities were evaluated against different bacterial and fungal strains. Gram positive bacteria were found to be more sensitive to the essential oil and extracts than Gram negative ones. Anthocyanins seem to have a major effect on the growth of Bacillus subtilis (R2 = 0.79). A significant antifungal activity was observed against the yeast and fungi. Correlations between chemical composition and antioxidant activities were studied and R2 values were about 0.96 for the effect of phenolics on the DPPH assay

Mid-Term Results of EVAR in Severe Proximal Aneurysm Neck Angulation.

OBJECTIVE: To determine if mid-term outcome following endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) with the Endurant Stent Graft (Medtronic, Santa Rosa, CA, USA) is influenced by severe proximal neck angulation. METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was performed using data from a prospective multicenter database. All measurements were obtained using dedicated reconstruction software and center-lumen line reconstruction. Patients with neck length >15 mm, infrarenal angle (β) >75°, and/or suprarenal angle (α) >60°, or neck length >10 mm with β >60°, and/or α >45° were compared with a matched control group. Primary endpoint was primary clinical success. Secondary endpoints were freedom from rupture, type 1A endoleak, stent fractures, freedom from neck-related reinterventions, and aneurysm-related adverse events. Morphological neck variation over time was also assessed. RESULTS: Forty-five patients were included in the study group and were compared with a matched control group with 65 patients. Median follow-up time was 49.5 months (range 30.5-58.4). The 4-year primary clinical success estimates were 83% and 80% for the angulated and nonangulated groups (p = .42). Proximal neck angulation did not affect primary clinical success in a multivariate model (hazard ratio 1.56, 95% confidence interval 0.55-4.41). Groups did not differ significantly in regard to freedom from rupture (p = .79), freedom from type 1A endoleak (p = .79), freedom from neck-related adverse events (p = .68), and neck-related reinterventions (p = .68). Neck angle reduction was more pronounced in patients with severe proximal neck angulation (mean Δα -15.6°, mean Δβ -30.6°) than in the control group (mean Δα -0.39°, mean Δβ -5.9°) (p < .001). CONCLUSION: Mid-term outcomes following EVAR with the Endurant Stent Graft were not influenced by severe proximal neck angulation in our population. Despite the conformability of the device, moderate aortic neck remodeling was identified in the group of patients with angulated neck anatomy on the first computed tomography scan after implantation with no important further remodeling afterwards. No device integrity failures were encountered

Constraints on the Dynamic Contribution to 21st-Century Sea Level Rise from Greenland Outlet Glaciers

Numerical models currently in use for projections of future ice sheet mass balance lack a mechanistic description of iceberg calving, introducing uncertainty in the future glaciological contribution to global sea level. Constraining dynamic mass loss associated with particular future scenarios can help us parse that uncertainty. We have modified the plastic approximation of Nye (1952) to apply to ocean- terminating glaciers (published derivation: Ultee & Bassis, 2016) and generate physically consistent constraints on dynamic mass loss. Our approach accounts for the interaction of multiple glacier tributary branches (published methods: Ul- tee & Bassis, 2017) and their contribution to sea level. For four large Greenland outlet glacier catchments—Sermeq Kujalleq (Jakobshavn Isbræ), Koge Bugt, Hel- heim, and Kangerlussuaq Glaciers—we find an upper bound of 29 mm on dy- namic contribution to sea level after 100 years of warming. This bound accounts for dynamic loss only and can be summed with surface mass balance projections to bound the total glaciological contribution to sea level from those catchments. The convergence of upper bounds derived from our two strongest forcing scenar- ios agrees with studies that suggest surface mass balance will dominate future mass loss from Greenland. Although our work is motivated by coastal communities’ exposure to rising seas, the constraints we produce here are unlikely to be immediately usable for coastal adaptation. Intermediaries such as extension agents, climate consultants, or re- gional science-policy boundary organizations may be able to tailor our results for use in local adaptation contexts (published commentary: Ultee, Arnott, Bassis, & Lemos, 2018). Understanding the landscape of science intermediation, as well as working directly with stakeholders, can help researchers produce more usable sea level information.PhDAtmospheric, Oceanic & Space ScienceUniversity of Michigan, Horace H. Rackham School of Graduate Studieshttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/145794/1/ehultee_1.pd

Coronary Revascularization Induces a Shift From Cardiac Toward Noncardiac Mortality Without Improving Survival in Vascular Surgery Patient

OBJECTIVE: Although evidence has shown that ischemic heart disease (IHD) in vascular surgery patients has a negative impact on the prognosis after surgery, it is unclear whether directed treatment of IHD may influence cause-specific and overall mortality. The objective of this study was to determine the prognostic implication of coronary revascularization (CR) on overall and cause-specific mortality in vascular surgery patients. METHODS: Patients undergoing surgery for abdominal aortic aneurysm, carotid artery stenosis, or peripheral artery disease in a university hospital in The Netherlands between January 2003 and December 2011 were retrospectively included. Survival estimates were obtained by Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1104 patients were included. Adjusted survival analyses showed that IHD significantly increased the risk of overall mortality (hazard ratio [HR], 1.50; 95% confidence interval, 1.21-1.87) and cardiovascular death (HR, 1.93; 95% confidence interval, 1.35-2.76). Compared with those without CR, patients previously undergoing CR had similar overall mortality (HR, 1.38 vs 1.62; P = .274) and cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.83 vs 2.02; P = .656). Nonrevascularized IHD patients were more likely to die of IHD (6.9% vs 35.7%), whereas revascularized IHD patients more frequently died of cardiovascular causes unrelated to IHD (39.1% vs 64.3%; P = .018). CONCLUSIONS: This study confirms the significance of IHD for postoperative survival of vascular surgery patients. CR was associated with lower IHD-related death rates. However, it failed to provide an overall survival benefit because of an increased rate of cardiovascular mortality unrelated to IHD. Intensification of secondary prevention regimens may be required to prevent this shift toward non-IHD-related death and thereby improve life expectancy

Outcome following peripheral nerve injury of the forearm

Loss of hand function can be a frightening experience, the hand is an integral part of what makes us human. Nowhere else in the body is there such an amazing and complex functioning of bones, joints, muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels and skin as in the hand. The proper function and balance of all these elements is required for the hand to function to its full potential. The hands are the primary tool for interacting with our environment and, through touch, are also crucial for receiving information about our surroundings. About a quarter of the motor cortex in the human brain (the part of the brain which controls all movement in the body) is devoted to the muscles of the hands. This is usually illustrated with a drawing of a human figure draped over the side of the brain, body parts sized proportional to the amount of brain devoted to their movement, referred to as a homunculus - as illustrated in this drawing from Dr. Wilder Penfield’s monograph “The Cerebral Cortex of Man”. Until illness or injury forces people to focus on the importance of their hands, few people ever consider the consequences of being unable to use them. Any loss of hand function can have serious economic and psychological consequences. In fact, losing the use of your hand often means losing your job. Our hands are also part of our identity. Patients with severe upper extremity injuries can suffer psychologically from post-traumatic stress disorder. Unfortunately, we often fail to appreciate the function of the upper limb until it is injured, and that happens quite often

New test for Down’s raises important ethical questions

For a pregnant woman, easily and safely finding out for certain whether her baby will have Down’s syndrome is an attractive prospect. The point of non-invasive prenatal diagnosis (NIPD), as with current tests, is to give information about the health of the foetus. It’s just that this test is risk free and doesn’t need a needle to be inserted into a woman’s uterus. Should we worry about medicine making this test safer? This test is an amazing development. Imagine the heartbreak of having an invasive test to then miscarry as a result. But before we roll this test out across the NHS, we need to address important ethical questions.This article was written by Dr Ainsley Newson during the time of her employment with the University of Bristol, UK (2006-2012). Self-archived in the Sydney eScholarship Repository with permission of Bristol University, Sept 2014