12 research outputs found
An Examination of Evil in C.S. Lewis’s The Narnia Chronicles and Space Trilogy, and in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings
No full textTwo of the most influential writers of contemporary fantasy are C.S Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The two men had much in common and were close friends with one another. In this master thesis, the author compares the face of evil within works of these two prolific writers. C.S. Lewis opposed amoral relativism, and in his novels illustrated how it could lead one to evil. Lewis also illustrated the potential of evil through scientism without a moral compass to guide you. Characters decapitate others and preserve the heads for scientific research. Tolkien similarly wrote on the dangers of science as a force of evil. Diabolic machinery destroys the once peaceful natural world leaving behind rubble and ruined forest. Tolkien also wrote on the evil caused by ethnocentrism and xenophobia. The thesis concludes by illustrating techniques both authors would use to describe the evil within characters by their appearances and actions. The evil characters are lustful and patiently scheming. The difference between the two, concludes the author, is that C.S. Lewis’s protagonists have small victories before the final showdown as a sign of hope, while Tolkien has his evil appear as an unstoppable force until the very end
An Examination of Evil in C.S. Lewis’s The Narnia Chronicles and Space Trilogy, and in Tolkien’s The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings
No full textAbstract provided by repository to aid in discovery.Two of the most influential writers of contemporary fantasy are C.S Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The two men had much in common and were close friends with one another. In this master thesis, the author compares the face of evil within works of these two prolific writers. C.S. Lewis opposed amoral relativism, and in his novels illustrated how it could lead one to evil. Lewis also illustrated the potential of evil through scientism without a moral compass to guide you. Characters decapitate others and preserve the heads for scientific research. Tolkien similarly wrote on the dangers of science as a force of evil. Diabolic machinery destroys the once peaceful natural world leaving behind rubble and ruined forest. Tolkien also wrote on the evil caused by ethnocentrism and xenophobia. The thesis concludes by illustrating techniques both authors would use to describe the evil within characters by their appearances and actions. The evil characters are lustful and patiently scheming. The difference between the two, concludes the author, is that C.S. Lewis’s protagonists have small victories before the final showdown as a sign of hope, while Tolkien has his evil appear as an unstoppable force until the very end.SUNY BrockportEnglishMaster of Arts (MA)English Master’s These
Did the Ford Foundation’s Rural Community College initiative produce transformational change?: a case study of Southwest Texas Junior College
No full textElectronic Thesis or DissertationThis study investigates the impact of Southwest Texas Junior College’s (SWTJC) participation in the Ford Foundation’s Rural Community College Initiative (RCCI) from 1994 to 2002. Fifteen years after the program ended, how embedded were a major foundation’s program initiatives on SWTJC students, organizational structure, and economic development? The Ford Foundation’s two overarching objectives for RCCI were increasing access to higher education and building regional economies in high poverty regions (Appalachia, Four Corners, Tribal High Plains, and Texas Border). The findings confirm the Ford Foundation’s belief that rural community colleges are powerful tools to reverse longstanding trends of rural Americans living in persistent poverty. In 1990, prior to SWTJC’s participation in the RCCI, all 11 counties served by SWTJC had lived with persistent poverty rates of greater than 30% including rates nearing 50%. By 2010, seven of the eleven counties had recorded double-digit reductions in their poverty rates. As SWTJC lifted 11.2% of its population out of poverty from 1990 to 2010, the United States recorded a 1.6% increase in the number of people living in poverty. SWTJC provides services to an 11-county state-assigned area that covers 16,712 square miles. A quirk in Texas law created a “in-taxing district” and an “out-of-taxing district” for all 50 Texas community college districts. I the case of SWTJC, those students living within the taxing district pay 61% less than those students living outside of the taxing district. Not surprisingly, the author found higher rates of attendance and completion success in the counties where tuition was lower, and Pell grants went farther. Despite the financial obstacles created by Texas lawmakers, access to higher education increased meaningfully. From 1994 to 2013, fall enrollment increased by 72%, unduplicated headcount increased by 54%, and contact credit hours increased by 55%, with 66% of contact hours delivered to students living outside of the taxing district. The findings illustrate how relatively small investments in planning and activity grants, and coaching to provide specialized personnel and training activities focused on capacity building and implementing a data-driven, inclusive strategic planning framework has the real potential to change lives for the better
Parhaquahpeni, the Back of the World. Approach to the Ritual and Social Vision of the Tarascans in the 16th Century
No full textAnalizaremos desde la arqueología y la historia una de las pocas imágenes que trascendieron sobre la creación del mundo prehispánico tarasco. Advertimos su expresión tanto en la arquitectura como en las relaciones sociales. Relacionamos los diferentes elementos del espacio ritual construido (yácatas y plataformas) con la representación del mundo como “espalda”. Sostenemos que dicha parte del cuerpo sirvió para representar la extensión a partir de la cual se crea todo aquello que habita la tierra, así como la superficie que carga y sostiene las relaciones sociales. Observamos cómo, a partir de metáforas diferentes, se expresa el valor más alto de la sociedad tarasca: el servicio y la reciprocidad entre los hombres y su relación con los dioses.We will analyze from archeological and historical point of view one of the few images that emerged about the creation of the Tarascan pre-Hispanic world. We observe its expression both in architecture and in social relations. We relate the different elements of the built of ritual space (yacatas and platforms) with the representation of the world as a “human back”. We proclaim that this part of the body served to represent the extension from which everything that inhabits the earth is created, as well as the surface that carries and sustains social relations. We observe how, based on different metaphors, the highest value of Tarascan society expressed: service and reciprocity between men and their relationship with the gods.Alcalá, Jerónimo de (2008). Relación de Michoacán (estudio introductorio Jean-Marie G. Le Clézio). Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán.
Afanador-Pujol, Angélica Jimena (2015). The Relación de Michoacán (1539-1541) and the Politics of Representation in Colonial Mexico. Austin: University of Texas Press.
Diccionario grande de la lengua de Michoacán: tarasco-español (1991). Benedict Warren (ed.). Morelia: Fimax Editores.
Espejel Carbajal, Claudia (2008). La Justicia y el fuego. Dos claves para leer la Relación de Michoacán (t. I). Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán.
Fisher, Chistopher, S. Leisz y G. Outlaw (2011). “Lidar: A Valuable Tool Uncovers an Ancient City in Mexico”, Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing. PERS, 77(10), pp. 962-966.
Gallardo Ruiz, Juan (2017). Hechicería, cosmovisión y costumbre. Una relación funcional entre el mundo subjetivo y la práctica de los curadores p’urhépecha. México: El Colegio de Michoacán / Instituto de Investigaciones Históricas- Universidad Michoacana de San Nicolás de Hidalgo / Editorial Morevalladolid.
Gilberti, Maturino (1997). Vocabulario en lengua de Mechuacan. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán / Fideicomiso Teixidor.
Lathrop, Maxwell (2007). Vocabulario del idioma purépecha (2ª ed. electrónica, 1ª ed.). México: Instituto Lingüístico de Verano. Recuperado de: http://www.sil.org/mexico/tarasca/G026-vocabulrioPurepecha-tsz.htm
Lumholtz, Carl (1945). El México desconocido, México: Publicaciones Herrerías.
Martínez, Roberto (2013). Cuiripu: cuerpo y persona entre los antiguos p’urhépecha de Michoacán. México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México.
Monzón, Cristina (2004). Los morfemas espaciales del p'urhépecha. Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán.
_________ (2005). “Los principales dioses tarascos: un ensayo de análisis etimológico en la cosmología tarasca”. Relaciones. Estudios de Historia y Sociedad, XXVI(104), otoño, pp. 136-168.
_________y Adrew Roth-Seneff (2016). “Parentela como principio de Estado. El concepto cultural quahta en las fuentes tarascas del siglo XVI”. En Sarah Albiez-Wieck y Hans Roskamp (eds.), Nuevas contribuciones al estudio del antiguo Michoacán (pp. 95-119). Zamora: El Colegio de Michoacán.
Plancarte, Francisco (2009). “Archaeologic explorations in Michoacan, Mexico”. American Anthropologist, 6.
Pulido Méndez, Salvador (2006). Los tarascos y los tarascos uacúsecha. Diferencias sociales y arqueológicas en un grupo. México: INAH.
Ramírez, Francisco. “Relación sobre la residencia de Michoacán (Pátzcuaro) hecha por el padre Francisco Ramírez, Michoacán 4 de abril 1585” (1959). En Félix Zubillaga, S. J., Monumenta mexicana II (1581-1585) (pp. 492-496). Roma.
Swadesh, Mauricio (1969). Elementos del tarasco antiguo. México: IIH-UNAM
Ouranosinc/xclim: v0.28.0
No full textNew features and enhancements
Automatic load of translations on import and possibility to pass translations for virtual modules.
New xclim.testing.list_datasets function listing all available test datasets in repo xclim-testdata.
spatial_analogs accepts multi-indexes as the dist_dim parameter and will work with candidates and target arrays of different lengths.
humidex can be computed using relative humidity instead of dewpoint temperature.
New sdba.construct_moving_yearly_window and sdba.unpack_moving_yearly_window for moving window adjustments.
New sdba.adjustment.NpdfTransform which is an adaptation of Alex Cannon's version of Pitié's N-dimensional probability density function transform. Uses new sdba.utils.rand_rot_matrix. Experimental, subject to changes.
New sdba.processing.standardize, .unstandardize and .reordering. All of them, tools needed to replicate Cannon's MBCn algorithm.
New sdba.processing.escore, backed by sdba.nbutils._escore to evaluate the performance of the N pdf transform.
New function xclim.indices.clausius_clapeyron_scaled_precipitation can be used to scale precipitation according to changes in mean temperature.
Percentile based indices gained a bootstrap argument that applies a bootstrapping algorithm to reduce biases on exceedance frequencies computed over in base and out of base periods. Experimental, subject to changes.
Added a .zenodo.json file for collecting and maintaining author order and tracking ORCIDs.
Bug fixes
Various bug fixes in sdba :
in QDM.adjust, fix bug occuring with coords of 'object' dtype and interp='nearest'.
in nbutils.quantiles, fix dtype bug when using float32 data.
raise a proper error when ref and hist have a different calendar for map_blocks-backed adjustments.
Breaking changes
spatial_analogs does not support sequence of dist_dim anymore. Users are responsible for stacking dimensions prior to calling spatial_analogs.
New indicators
biologically_effective_degree_days (with method="gladstones") indice computes degree-days between two specific dates, with a capped daily max value as well as latitude and temperature range swing as modifying coefficients (based on Gladstones, J. (1992)). This has also been wrapped as an indicator.
An alternative implementation of biologically_effective_degree_days (with method="icclim", based on ICCLIM formula) ignores latitude and temperature range swing modifiers and uses an alternate end_date. Wrapped and available as an ICCLIM indicator.
cool_night_index indice returns the mean minimum temperature in September (lat >= 0 deg N) or March (lat < 0 deg N), based on Tonietto & Carbonneau, 2004 (10.1016/j.agrformet.2003.06.001). Also available as an indicator (see indices Notes section on indicator usage recommendations).
latitude_temperature_index indice computes LTI values based on mean temperature of warmest month and a parameterizable latitude coefficient (default: lat_factor=75) based on Jackson & Cherry, 1988, and Kenny & Shao, 1992 (10.1080/00221589.1992.11516243). This has also been wrapped as an indicator.
huglin_index indice computes Huglin Heliothermal Index (HI) values based on growing degrees and a latitude-influenced coefficient for day-length (based on Huglin. (1978)). The indice supports several methods of estimating the latitude coefficient:
method="smoothed": Marks latitudes between -40 N and 40 N with k=1, and linearly increases to k=1.06 at |lat|==50.
method="icclim": Uses a stepwise function based on the the original method as presented by Huglin (1978). Identical to the ICCLIM implementation.
method="jones": Uses a more robust calculation for calculating day-lengths, based on Hall & Jones (2010). This method is now also available for biologically_effective_degree_days.
The generic indice day_length, used for calculating approximate daily day-length in hours per day or, given start_date and end_date, the total aggregated day-hours over period. Uses axial tilt, start and end dates, calendar, and approximate date of northern hemisphere summer solstice, based on Hall & Jones (2010).
Internal Changes
aggregate_between_dates (introduced in v0.27.0) now accepts DayOfYear-like strings for supplying start and end dates (e.g. start="02-01", end="10-31").
The indicator call sequence now considers "variable" the inputs annoted so. Dropped the nvar attribute.
Default cfcheck is now to check metadata according to the variable name, using CMIP6 names in xclim/data/variable.yml.
Indicator.missing defaults to "skip" if freq is absent from the list of parameters.
Minor modifications to the GitHub Pull Requests template.
Simplification of some yaml elements for virtual modules.
Allow injecting freq without the missing checks failing
Ouranosinc/xclim: v0.28.0
No full textNew features and enhancements
Automatic load of translations on import and possibility to pass translations for virtual modules.
New xclim.testing.list_datasets function listing all available test datasets in repo xclim-testdata.
spatial_analogs accepts multi-indexes as the dist_dim parameter and will work with candidates and target arrays of different lengths.
humidex can be computed using relative humidity instead of dewpoint temperature.
New sdba.construct_moving_yearly_window and sdba.unpack_moving_yearly_window for moving window adjustments.
New sdba.adjustment.NpdfTransform which is an adaptation of Alex Cannon's version of Pitié's N-dimensional probability density function transform. Uses new sdba.utils.rand_rot_matrix. Experimental, subject to changes.
New sdba.processing.standardize, .unstandardize and .reordering. All of them, tools needed to replicate Cannon's MBCn algorithm.
New sdba.processing.escore, backed by sdba.nbutils._escore to evaluate the performance of the N pdf transform.
New function xclim.indices.clausius_clapeyron_scaled_precipitation can be used to scale precipitation according to changes in mean temperature.
Percentile based indices gained a bootstrap argument that applies a bootstrapping algorithm to reduce biases on exceedance frequencies computed over in base and out of base periods. Experimental, subject to changes.
Added a .zenodo.json file for collecting and maintaining author order and tracking ORCIDs.
Bug fixes
Various bug fixes in sdba :
in QDM.adjust, fix bug occuring with coords of 'object' dtype and interp='nearest'.
in nbutils.quantiles, fix dtype bug when using float32 data.
raise a proper error when ref and hist have a different calendar for map_blocks-backed adjustments.
Breaking changes
spatial_analogs does not support sequence of dist_dim anymore. Users are responsible for stacking dimensions prior to calling spatial_analogs.
New indicators
biologically_effective_degree_days (with method="gladstones") indice computes degree-days between two specific dates, with a capped daily max value as well as latitude and temperature range swing as modifying coefficients (based on Gladstones, J. (1992)). This has also been wrapped as an indicator.
An alternative implementation of biologically_effective_degree_days (with method="icclim", based on ICCLIM formula) ignores latitude and temperature range swing modifiers and uses an alternate end_date. Wrapped and available as an ICCLIM indicator.
cool_night_index indice returns the mean minimum temperature in September (lat >= 0 deg N) or March (lat < 0 deg N), based on Tonietto & Carbonneau, 2004 (10.1016/j.agrformet.2003.06.001). Also available as an indicator (see indices Notes section on indicator usage recommendations).
latitude_temperature_index indice computes LTI values based on mean temperature of warmest month and a parameterizable latitude coefficient (default: lat_factor=75) based on Jackson & Cherry, 1988, and Kenny & Shao, 1992 (10.1080/00221589.1992.11516243). This has also been wrapped as an indicator.
huglin_index indice computes Huglin Heliothermal Index (HI) values based on growing degrees and a latitude-influenced coefficient for day-length (based on Huglin. (1978)). The indice supports several methods of estimating the latitude coefficient:
method="smoothed": Marks latitudes between -40 N and 40 N with k=1, and linearly increases to k=1.06 at |lat|==50.
method="icclim": Uses a stepwise function based on the the original method as presented by Huglin (1978). Identical to the ICCLIM implementation.
method="jones": Uses a more robust calculation for calculating day-lengths, based on Hall & Jones (2010). This method is now also available for biologically_effective_degree_days.
The generic indice day_length, used for calculating approximate daily day-length in hours per day or, given start_date and end_date, the total aggregated day-hours over period. Uses axial tilt, start and end dates, calendar, and approximate date of northern hemisphere summer solstice, based on Hall & Jones (2010).
Internal Changes
aggregate_between_dates (introduced in v0.27.0) now accepts DayOfYear-like strings for supplying start and end dates (e.g. start="02-01", end="10-31").
The indicator call sequence now considers "variable" the inputs annoted so. Dropped the nvar attribute.
Default cfcheck is now to check metadata according to the variable name, using CMIP6 names in xclim/data/variable.yml.
Indicator.missing defaults to "skip" if freq is absent from the list of parameters.
Minor modifications to the GitHub Pull Requests template.
Simplification of some yaml elements for virtual modules.
Allow injecting freq without the missing checks failing
Phase-3 trial of recombinant human alkaline phosphatase for patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (REVIVAL)
No full textPurpose: Ilofotase alfa is a human recombinant alkaline phosphatase with reno-protective effects that showed improved survival and reduced Major Adverse Kidney Events by 90 days (MAKE90) in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) patients. REVIVAL, was a phase-3 trial conducted to confirm its efficacy and safety. Methods: In this international double-blinded randomized-controlled trial, SA-AKI patients were enrolled < 72 h on vasopressor and < 24 h of AKI. The primary endpoint was 28-day all-cause mortality. The main secondary endpoint was MAKE90, other secondary endpoints were (i) days alive and free of organ support through day 28, (ii) days alive and out of the intensive care unit (ICU) through day 28, and (iii) time to death through day 90. Prior to unblinding, the statistical analysis plan was amended, including an updated MAKE90 definition. Results: Six hundred fifty patients were treated and analyzed for safety; and 649 for efficacy data (ilofotase alfa n = 330; placebo n = 319). The observed mortality rates in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups were 27.9% and 27.9% at 28 days, and 33.9% and 34.8% at 90 days. The trial was stopped for futility on the primary endpoint. The observed proportion of patients with MAKE90A and MAKE90B were 56.7% and 37.4% in the ilofotase alfa group vs. 64.6% and 42.8% in the placebo group. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] days alive and free of organ support were 17 [0-24] and 14 [0-24], number of days alive and discharged from the ICU through day 28 were 15 [0-22] and 10 [0-22] in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups, respectively. Adverse events were reported in 67.9% and 75% patients in the ilofotase and placebo group. Conclusion: Among critically ill patients with SA-AKI, ilofotase alfa did not improve day 28 survival. There may, however, be reduced MAKE90 events. No safety concerns were identified.Purpose: Ilofotase alfa is a human recombinant alkaline phosphatase with reno-protective effects that showed improved survival and reduced Major Adverse Kidney Events by 90 days (MAKE90) in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) patients. REVIVAL, was a phase-3 trial conducted to confirm its efficacy and safety. Methods: In this international double-blinded randomized-controlled trial, SA-AKI patients were enrolled < 72 h on vasopressor and < 24 h of AKI. The primary endpoint was 28-day all-cause mortality. The main secondary endpoint was MAKE90, other secondary endpoints were (i) days alive and free of organ support through day 28, (ii) days alive and out of the intensive care unit (ICU) through day 28, and (iii) time to death through day 90. Prior to unblinding, the statistical analysis plan was amended, including an updated MAKE90 definition. Results: Six hundred fifty patients were treated and analyzed for safety; and 649 for efficacy data (ilofotase alfa n = 330; placebo n = 319). The observed mortality rates in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups were 27.9% and 27.9% at 28 days, and 33.9% and 34.8% at 90 days. The trial was stopped for futility on the primary endpoint. The observed proportion of patients with MAKE90A and MAKE90B were 56.7% and 37.4% in the ilofotase alfa group vs. 64.6% and 42.8% in the placebo group. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] days alive and free of organ support were 17 [0-24] and 14 [0-24], number of days alive and discharged from the ICU through day 28 were 15 [0-22] and 10 [0-22] in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups, respectively. Adverse events were reported in 67.9% and 75% patients in the ilofotase and placebo group. Conclusion: Among critically ill patients with SA-AKI, ilofotase alfa did not improve day 28 survival. There may, however, be reduced MAKE90 events. No safety concerns were identified.A
Correction:Phase-3 trial of recombinant human alkaline phosphatase for patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (REVIVAL) (Intensive Care Medicine, (2024), 50, 1, (68-78), 10.1007/s00134-023-07271-w)
No full textAfter the publication of the article, we have been informed that the name of a contributor in the list of REVIVAL investigators was given incomplete. He was given as “Patrick Honore” or “Honore P” but he should have been cited as “Patrick M. Honore” or “Honore PM”. Additionally, there are two mistakes in the contributors list: “ElisabethDiltoer” should read “Elisabeth Dewaele, Marc Diltoer” and “Craig French” should be also added. The original publication and the supplementary Excel file have been updated. The Authors apologize for these mistakes.</p
Phase-3 trial of recombinant human alkaline phosphatase for patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (REVIVAL)
No full textPurposeIlofotase alfa is a human recombinant alkaline phosphatase with reno-protective effects that showed improved survival and reduced Major Adverse Kidney Events by 90 days (MAKE90) in sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (SA-AKI) patients. REVIVAL, was a phase-3 trial conducted to confirm its efficacy and safety.MethodsIn this international double-blinded randomized-controlled trial, SA-AKI patients were enrolled < 72 h on vasopressor and < 24 h of AKI. The primary endpoint was 28-day all-cause mortality. The main secondary endpoint was MAKE90, other secondary endpoints were (i) days alive and free of organ support through day 28, (ii) days alive and out of the intensive care unit (ICU) through day 28, and (iii) time to death through day 90. Prior to unblinding, the statistical analysis plan was amended, including an updated MAKE90 definition.ResultsSix hundred fifty patients were treated and analyzed for safety; and 649 for efficacy data (ilofotase alfa n = 330; placebo n = 319). The observed mortality rates in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups were 27.9% and 27.9% at 28 days, and 33.9% and 34.8% at 90 days. The trial was stopped for futility on the primary endpoint. The observed proportion of patients with MAKE90A and MAKE90B were 56.7% and 37.4% in the ilofotase alfa group vs. 64.6% and 42.8% in the placebo group. Median [interquartile range (IQR)] days alive and free of organ support were 17 [0–24] and 14 [0–24], number of days alive and discharged from the ICU through day 28 were 15 [0–22] and 10 [0–22] in the ilofotase alfa and placebo groups, respectively. Adverse events were reported in 67.9% and 75% patients in the ilofotase and placebo group.ConclusionAmong critically ill patients with SA-AKI, ilofotase alfa did not improve day 28 survival. There may, however, be reduced MAKE90 events. No safety concerns were identified
Phase-3 trial of recombinant human alkaline phosphatase for patients with sepsis-associated acute kidney injury (REVIVAL)
No full textAfter the publication of the article, we have been informed that the name of a contributor in the list of REVIVAL investigators was given incomplete. He was given as “Patrick Honore” or “Honore P” but he should have been cited as “Patrick M. Honore” or “Honore PM”. Additionally, there are two mistakes in the contributors list: “ElisabethDiltoer” should read “Elisabeth Dewaele, Marc Diltoer” and “Craig French” should be also added. The original publication and the supplementary Excel file have been updated. The Authors apologize for these mistakes
