1613 research outputs found
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Do No Harm : Reflections on Medical Nihilism
No full textMedicine is supposed to make human life better—or, at least, to make it no worse. “Do no harm” is a medical slogan dating back to Hippocrates. In Medical Nihilism (Oxford 2018), Jacob Stegenga argues that many of the purported spectacular successes of contemporary medicine are, in reality, cleverly disguised failures, falling well short of the Hippocratic ideal of harmlessness—and further that “we should have little confidence in the effectiveness of medical interventions.” What is the basis for Stegenga’s medical nihilism? If this nihilism is justified, how should medical practice be reshaped so that it may do less harm
Establishing a Biocompatible Organic Reaction to Metabolize Diclofenac in Water
No full textThe biocompatible metabolism of drugs has been explored to remedy the trace amounts of pharmaceuticals in the water supply. Pharmaceuticals are designed to not be metabolized by the microbes in our gut, and, consequently, the microbes in waste water treatment facilities (WWTFs) cannot decompose these compounds. The pharmaceutical under study is the NSAID diclofenac, which has devastating effects on vultures and aquatic organisms. Research focuses on establishing a reaction that will convert diclofenac into a metabolizable molecule under conditions compatible with WWTFs. Results are being actively developed. A palladium-catalyzed dehalogenation reaction has been found and yields the desired product
Watch Your Language: Investigating the Linguistic Markers of Persuasion and Attitude Change
No full textLanguage is a central component of debates and arguments. It conveys information to others and impacts how individuals understand what is being communicated in the first place, which may facilitate or impede attitude change. What language factors are associated with attitude change? We sought to answer this question by analyzing data from ChangeMyView, a community on Reddit in which users present their attitudes on any topic, interact with users who challenge them, and then specify if their attitudes were changed as the result of such interactions. The results reveal the linguistic markers and processes that impact persuasion and attitude change
“The Book of God Before Thee Set”: Rereading Early Modern Muslim and Christian Beliefs Through \u3cem\u3eParadise Lost\u3c/em\u3e
Get PDFParadise Lost is a literary masterpiece that spans both cultural and religious lines. Recently, many scholars have taken an interest in similarities between the Christian epic poem and Islamic beliefs, and many Muslims report an interest in and identify with Paradise Lost. Curiously, however, Islam appears to lack a comparable dramatization of the expulsion of humans from the Garden of Eden. This project seeks first, to propose a possible orthodox Sunni theology in sixteenth-century Anatolia, and second, to speculate how Paradise Lost would have been different if it had emerged out of this cultural context, rather than seventeenth-century England. Through this speculative thought experiment, this thesis critically demonstrates where Muslim and Christian theologies are similar. Finally, reflecting on early modern Muslim and Christian approaches to religious tolerance, these similarities lend insight into the irony of early modern English othering of Muslims
Crypto Mania: Determining the Drivers and Philosophical Implications of Financial Bubbles to Inform Speculation
Get PDFThe past few years have marked the rapid emergence of cryptocurrency, a new commodity that has taken the investor community by storm. Like the South Sea Bubble and Dot-Com Bubble, cryptocurrencies temporarily generated astronomical returns. Using funding data as well as controlling for Bitcoin difficulty and confirmation times, NASDAQ Index returns, gold returns, bullish investor sentiment, and Bitcoin tweet counts, it can be concluded that cryptocurrency in fact experienced two separate bubbles between 2012 and 2018. Furthermore, by understanding the drivers to the Crypto Bubbles and other historical bubbles alike, I offer analysis regarding the potential for blockchain technology – the underlying technology of cryptocurrency
Investigation of the Neuroinflammatory Response in Hippocampal Subfields After a Single Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (mTBI) in Rats
No full textMild forms of traumatic brain injury (mTBI), such as concussions from falls or sports, are often associated with memory deficits. We recently described a clinically relevant closed-head model for mTBI in rats, and are using this model to evaluate mechanisms of neuroinflammation and explore possible therapeutic strategies. Rat brains were immunostained to detect mature neurons, astrocytes, and microglia. These sections were imaged and analyzed using Stereo-Investigator software to evaluate neuronal loss and inflammation in hippocampal subfields. Establishing these effects after mTBI would provide a model for investigating regenerative approaches to replacing neurons through reprogramming in the hippocampal CA subfields
Proximate Mechanisms and Ultimate Functions: An Integrative Study of Evolutionary Tradeoffs in Bean Beetles
No full textLife history theory argues that organisms have a finite “energy budget” for survival and reproduction, and that tradeoffs arise through differential investment over time. However, while many studies report tradeoffs, there is little understanding as to the contexts in which they occur. The bean beetle, Callosobruchus maculatus, has two morphs: flightless (atrophied wings) and dispersal (functional wings). As developing wings is energetically expensive, we predict that the occurrence of tradeoffs will depend on the morph. We will measure behavioral, life history, and morphological traits to generate a holistic model of tradeoffs and to understand the causes and consequences of tradeoffs in each morph
Selections from Collage Magazine
No full textThe presentation Selections from Collage Magazine is a session offered by Collage magazine, Lake Forest College´s foreign-language literary magazine. In this session, selections from the 2019 edition of the magazine will be presented and read in an informal and interactive format, with audience members encouraged to ask questions and offer comments on the readings, which will be read in their original language but preceded by short explanations in English
