456 research outputs found
Stranger in our Midst::The Becoming of the Queer God in the Theology of Marcella Althaus-Reid
No full textThis is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the publisher via the link in this record.Book description: Marcella Althaus-Reid was one of the most fascinating and controversial theologians of the twentieth and early twenty-first century. Her strong personality and her iconoclastic work inspired a whole generation of theologians in the UK and worldwide. Marcella's creative life was cut short by her death from cancer in 2009. Yet she lives on, not least in those who have been inspired by her work and continue to engage with it. "Dancing Theology in Fetish Boots" draws together a number of world-class scholars and others who engage with the main themes of Marcella's work and show how the critical and controversial conversations which Marcella has begun can and do continue. It is therefore far more than a Festschrift, but a celebration of an intellectual life Marcella-style
Computational rehabilitation of neglect:Using state-space models to understand the recovery mechanisms
No full textUnilateral spatial neglect is a neuropsychological syndrome often observed in right hemisphere stroke patients. The symptoms differ from subject to subject. A few rehabilitation approaches, e.g. prism adaptation, have demonstrated some effect in reducing the symptoms, but the underlying mechanisms are still largely unclear. Recently, neural models have been proposed to qualitatively describe cortical lesions, the resulting neglect symptoms and the effects of treatment. However, these predictions are qualitative and cannot be used to compare different hypotheses or to interpret symptoms at individual subjects level. Here we propose a computational model of the trial-by-trial dynamics of training-induced recovery from neglect. Neglect is modelled in terms of an impaired internal representation of visual stimuli in the left hemispace. The model assumes that recovery is driven by the mismatch between defective representations of visual stimuli and the corresponding hand positions. The model reproduces the main observations of prism adaptation experiments. Using standard system identification techniques, we fitted the model to data from a rehabilitation trial based on a novel rehabilitation approach based on virtual reality, involving reaching movements within an adaptive environment. Our results suggest that the model can be used to interpret data from individual subjects and to formulate testable hypotheses on the mechanisms of recovery and directions for treatment.</p
Case histories of five years of neonatal urinary tract infectiones: practical aspects of treatment and the need for agreed-upon guidelines
No full textBiomarkers for alcohol abuse/withdrawal and their association with clinical scales and temptation to drink. A prospective pilot study during 4-week residential rehabilitation
No full textA bulk of evidence in the field of translational medicine applied to clinical toxicology and rehabilitation has highlighted the possibility of using biomarkers as a support in the diagnosis of alcohol-related diseases and in monitoring of alcohol withdrawal. In a cohort of 55 subjects admitted to a 4-week residential rehabilitation period for alcohol detoxification, we applied a complementary approach correlating novel and conventional peripheral blood and urine parameters in combination with clinical and functional evaluation, contextually considered with the patient's history. Biomarkers of oxidative, inflammatory, hepatic, and neurochemical effects paralleled by alcohol craving and clinical scale measurements were determined at two specific time points, i.e., admission and discharge. Concerning the post-discharge assessment (i.e., relapse evaluation one month after discharge), a follow-up oral interview during a clinical examination was applied to evaluate alcohol abstinence.Selected biomarkers, i.e., MCP1, F2-IsoPs, and SOD1, were altered in chronic alcoholics at admission, and then showed a clearly changing trend during hospitalization. Our findings demonstrated that these specific non-traditional biomarkers, measured together with more conventional ones (e.g., CDT, EtG, IL8, ALT, AST, GGT), could represent novel key parameters for monitoring alcohol use disorders and withdrawal, being also suggestive of the complexity of the psychoneuroimmune response to alcohol. A general improvement in psychological functioning (i.e., decreases in anxiety, depression, and psychological distress) was also revealed during the 4-week rehabilitation treatment, paralleled by an increase of well-being and positive changes in terms of scores. Moreover, a positive association between SOD1 and drink craving at admission was evidenced. Notably, both SOD1 and well-being displayed a significant relation with lower risk of alcohol relapse one month after discharge, indicating that SOD1 is a good predictor of reduced relapse probability. This 4-week residential rehabilitation protocol represents a sound strategy enabling identification of alcohol use disorders and monitoring of alcohol addiction state and withdrawal. However, it has to be emphasized that results derived from this pilot study need to be extensively validated in large and independent cohorts of subjects
Classical test theory and Rasch analysis validation of the Recent-Onset Arthritis Disability questionnaire in rheumatoid arthritis patients
No full textDisability has been identified as a core outcome measure in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The aim of this study was to perform a comprehensive psychometric analysis of the Recent-Onset Arthritis Disability (ROAD) questionnaire in patients with RA. The questionnaire was completed by 583 patients with RA: 196 subjects participating in the NEW INDICES study and 387 subjects who were taking part in a long-term observational study. At confirmatory factor analysis for categorical data, data fit for a three-factor model was adequate to good (non-normed fit index = 0.98, comparative fit index = 0.99, root mean square error of approximation = 0.079, standardized root mean square residual = 0.047), with standardized item-to-factor loadings ranging from 0.60 to 0.90 and a cumulative explained variance of 83 %. The bifactor model of ROAD presented a clean independent cluster structure. The loadings in the unidimensional model were very similar to those on the general factor in the bifactor model. Rasch analysis showed a correct functioning of rating categories, a good fit of the data to the model for all three subscales, and satisfactory separation indexes and respective reliability (for both persons and items). This study, using both classical test theory and Rasch analysis methods, provides psychometric evidence of the reliability and internal and structural validity of ROAD in RA patients. Our results support the use of separate subscores for upper limb function, lower limb function, and activities of daily living/work, and the appropriateness of reporting an overall score (i.e., the mean of the three subscales)
A 4th millennium temple/palace complex at Arslantepe-Malatya. North-South relations and the formation of early state societies in the northern regions of Greater Mesopotamia
No full textThis article reconsiders the nature of relations between the southern and northern communities of "Greater Mesopotamia " during the Late Uruk period and- the effects that the so-called, expansion of southern groups had on the formation of the first state societies in the northern regions of Syria and Eastern Anatolia. The author stresses the earlier historical roots of the unitv of Greater Mesopotamia as well as the importance of local components in the development of new centralised political structures. The changes in interregional and intersite relations during this time also seem to be inainly a result of structural changes which took place in the individual societies both in the north and, in the south. The analysis is based on the emblematic case of Arslantepe (Malatva), where the wealth of data from a large public area has made it possible to reconstruct an earlv "State" svstem stronglv interacting with the southern societies, but based on the growth of local organisational structures.Nouvelle étude de la nature des rapports entretenus entre les communautés du Nord, et du Sud de la, « Greater Mesopotamia » au cours de l'Uruk récent, plus particulièrement de l'influence que l'expansion de groupes venant du Sud a pu avoir, dans les régions septentrionales de la Syrie et de l'Anatolie orientale, sur la naissance et l'évolution des premières formes de l'État. Sont mises en évidence aussi bien les racines historiques de l'unité culturelle qui caractérise la « Greater Mesopotamia » que l'importance des composantes locales et, le rôle que les unes et les autres jouèrent dans le développement d'organisations politiques centralisées. Les changements observés tant au niveau inter- régional qu 'au niveau des sites à cette époque sont dus principalement aux changements structuraux qui prirent place, et dans les sociétés du nord et dans celles du sud. Cette analyse est fondée sur le cas exemplaire que nous offre le site d'Arslan Tepe (Malatya) où la richesse des données provenant d'une vaste zone d'édifices publics a permis de proposer une reconstruction d'une proto-organisation d'un État avant de fortes interactions avec les sociétés du Sud, mais qui, en même temps, reposait sur le développement de structures tout à fait locales.Frangipane Marcella. A 4th-millennium temple/palace complex at Arslantepe-Malatya. North-South relations and the formation of early state societies in the Northern regions of Greater Mesopotamia.. In: Paléorient, 1997, vol. 23, n°1. pp. 45-73
UNESCO, Adult education and political mobilization
No full textIn this article the author examine the type of mobilization processes that occur via interactions between the UNESCO and other political actors, and how these processes led to the creation of standard-setting and monitoring instruments, like the Belém Framework for Action (UNESCO 2009) and the Global Report on Adult Learning and Education (UIL 2003, 2013). The findings point at three concurrent processes or modes of mobilization in adult education: landmarking, brokering and framing. Landmarking refers to the process of co-constructing a shared past for a broad set of actors with policy will in adult education; Brokering captures the process of supporting the transaction of values, ideas and information to envision a viable future for adult education; finally framing addresses the structuring of information and intentions to produce materials changes at governmental level in the field of adult education. Drawing on different data sources, for each mode the author present and discuss few of its incidences and visible marks
Global polity in adult education and UNESCO: landmarking, brokering and framing policy
No full textAknowledging the complexity of local–global interconnections, the author argues for the adoption of a global polity perspective in adult education, here applied to study mobilisation processes that occur through UNESCO. The findings point to three processes that cross geopolitical borders and professional interests: ‘landmarking’, by which a shared sense of a common past is created; ‘brokering’, which helps shape a common future direction; and ‘framing’, which is used to convert ideational landscapes into material government-led actions. The theoretical perspectives and analytical insights presented could be used in analogous studies in other areas of education or with a focus on different political actors
Who’s Afraid of the White Sheet?: The Art of Alessandro Sanna.
No full textAn inquiry about the art of Alessandro Sanna, illustrator and author of picturebook, In light of his special relationship with the white space in the page, the poetic search for silence and his eloquent line
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