37,084 research outputs found
Representations of mad cow disease
This paper examines the reporting of the story of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) and its human
derivative variant Creutzfeld-Jacob Disease (vCJD) in the British newspapers. Three âsnapshotsâ of newspaper coverage
are sampled and analysed between the period 1986 and 1996 focusing on how representations of the disease evolved
over the 10-year period. Social representations theory is used to elucidate how this new disease threat was
conceptualised in the newspaper reporting and how it was explained to the UK public. This paper examines who or
what was said to be at risk from the new disease, and whether some individuals or groups held to blame for the diseasesâ
putative origins, the appearance of vCJD in human beings, and its spread
The hospital âsuperbugâ: social representations of MRSA
The so-called âhospital superbugâ methcillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) became a topic of media and political concern from the middle of the 1990âs. It was increasingly politicised in the period leading up to the British General Election of 2005. This study examines the meanings of MRSA that circulate in Britain by analysing newspaper coverage of the disease over a ten year period. It utilises social representations theory and contextualises MRSA within existing research on representations of emerging infectious diseases (EIDs). A key pattern in the representation of EIDs is to externalise the threat they pose by linking the origin, risk and blame to âthe otherâ of those who represent them. In this light the study investigates who and what MRSA is associated with and the impact that these associations have on levels of alarm and blame. Key findings are that MRSA is represented as a potentially lethal âsuperbugâ, marking the end of a âgolden age of medicineâ in which the story of the discovery of antibiotics has played such a key role. Furthermore, MRSA is constructed around an âit could be you / meâ set of assumptions by way of the plethora of human interest stories that dominate the coverage. Finally, the blame for MRSA focuses not on its genesis, but rather on why it spreads. This is attributed to poor hygiene in hospitals, which is ultimately caused by mismanagement of the National Health Service and erosion of the authority and morality symbolised by the âmatronâ role. This constellation of meanings speaks to a somewhat different pattern of response to MRSA when compared to many past EIDs
Cultural relativism in the Poisonwood Bible
In her novel The Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver explores this same ethnocentric missionary zeal when critiquing the ways in which Western countries relate to âforeignâ countries. She creates an allegory where the Price Family and the Congolese people are a microcosm of the United States and its relations to âforeignâ countries. In this allegory, Kingsolver suggests that the attempt of the U.S. to change what it does not understand can be detrimental and unethical â that the attempt to spread an ethical system becomes the most unethical idea of all
Robert Koch, Creation, and the Specificity of Germs
Microbiology is dominated by evolution today. Just look at any text, journal article, or the topics presented at professional scientific meetings. Darwin is dominant.
Microbiology is dominated by evolution today. Just look at any text, journal article, or the topics presented at professional scientific meetings. Darwin is dominant. Many argue that ânothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolutionâ (Dobzhansky 1973). But it was not always this way. In fact, a review of the major founders of microbiology has shown that they were creationists.1 We would argue that a better idea thanevolution and one of much more practical importance is the germ theory of disease, originally put forth primarily by non-Darwinian biologists (Gillen and Oliver 2009). In our previous article (Gillen and Oliver 2009), we documented these and many other creation and Christian contributions to germ theory. But only recently has it become known that another important microbiology founder, Robert Koch (Fig. 1) and his co-workers were Linnaean creationists in their classification.2 This is due, in part, to additional works of Robert Koch that were translated from German to English. The year 2010 marks the 100thanniversary of his death (died: May 27, 1910). Although Koch and other German microbiologists were fairly secular in their thinking, their acceptance of Darwinian evolution was minimal
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A confrontation of economic and theological approaches to âending povertyâ in Africa
We seek to assess the adequacy of an âeconomicâ as opposed to a âChristianâ worldview in confronting one of the major challenges to the world, namely the chronic nature of absolute poverty in much of Africa. Our study comprises, first, an overview and contrast of the two approaches in general terms and, second, a critical examination of economist Jeffrey Sachsâ The End of Poverty (which undergoes a theological critique) and theologian Ronald Siderâs Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger (which is subjected to economic criticism). Overall, we find that economic analyses rely on an excessively narrow view of human motivation, which may vitiate secular attempts to aid development. A blend of Biblical understanding and economic insight is needed for a genuine transformation of the lives of the poor to take place
Ambiguity of Social Networks in Post-Communist Contexts
The paper discusses three hypotheses. First, it introduces four ideal types of networks which
are combined in the category of networks as used by social scientists. Four types result from
the intersection of two implicit choices made about networks â networks are assumed to be
either personal or impersonal, and are viewed either internally or externally. Thus, networks
are understood in terms of sociability, access to resources, enabling structure, or social capital.
Second, I argue that networks function in a fundamentally ambiguous way. They operate in
their capacity of a safety net or survival kit, provide a âbeating the systemâ capacity or
compensate for the systemâs defects. At the same time networks provide constraints such as
high costs of informal contract, limits on individual action, lock-in effects and the handicaps
of social capital. Third, I illustrate differences between networks serving the economy of
favors in Russia and networks serving the purposes of ânetwork society.
The Genesis of Pathogenic E. coli
Even though some strains are pathogenic, most E. coli strains still show evidence of being one of Godâs âvery goodâ creations.
Fig. 1. E. coli Gram stain (Wiki commons image). E. coli are Gram-negative bacteria, thus red or pink colored. The red color is due to a counterstain, called safranin.
Escherichia coli is frequently in the news (Fig. 1). E. coli often gets âbad pressâ for contaminating drinking water or causing a food-borne infection (via hamburgers, apple juice, spinach, or other foods). Recently a new strain (E. coli O145) has been implicated in contaminating lettuce in the U.S., while another strain (E. coliO157:H7) is apparently in tons of beef and other foods. Pathogenic (disease-causing) E. coli is becoming so common in foods that the government is likely to âbeef upâ its regulation on the food industry (Dininny 2010). Even though some strains are pathogenic, most E. coli strains still show evidence of being one of Godâs âvery goodâ creations. E. coli is also a common experimental organism (a laboratory âpetâ) of biologists, and is valuable for studying genetics and variation in living things.
Newspapers, biology texts and the popular media increasingly discuss âevolution in action.â Evidence to support this concept includes emerging diseases, antibiotic resistance, and changes in characteristics of bacteria, especially the work of Richard Lenskiâs lab. Lenski and his coworkers have shown that bacteria can change rapidly in phenotype (outward appearance) and evolutionists have seized upon this rapid phenotypic change as alleged powerful evidence for Darwinian evolution. Thus, E. coliand âevolution in actionâ is an important two-fold issue involving empirical (or observational/operational) science and its relationship to the theoretical (or historical) origins issue.
Carl Zimmer (2008), in his book, Microcosm: E. coli and the New Science of Life, uses emerging diseases caused by E. coli to bolster his arguments for molecules-to-man evolution. Zimmerâs book popularizes the work of Lenski on emerging (i.e., newly appearing) diseases and increases the appeal of his research as seen in news magazines, general biology and microbiology texts, and at many scientific conferences. Zimmer states that scientists are investigating phenotypic changes in E. coli to demonstrate their ability to undergo ârapid bursts of evolutionâ (p. 97). Many biologists argue that the wide variation in pathogenicity found in E. coli as support for Darwinian evolution. The typical explanation for the origin of E. coli is that it has been around for billions of years and man only a few millions years. For the mutualistic relationship to have begun between man and microbe, animals and E. coli had to co-evolve in both E. coli and man. The human body had to allow a bacteria to pass through the stomach and reach the intestine (a rapid turnover rate) to become one of the most successful bacteria on the planet (i.e., it\u27s found in every mammal known and even extends to fish).
Increasingly reoccurring themes (examples) are being declared about pathogenic E. coli and its âevolution in actionâ: primarily how new and emerging diseases arise. The origins of new diseases within the same species are really examples of variation and adaptation. We seek to provide an âanswerâ and alternative to the Darwinian paradigm through investigation of the origin of E. coli and its role in examples of âevolution in action.â The purpose of this article is to discuss the possible origin of E. coli from the time of Creation; and its modification since the Edenic Curse. The specific objectives of this article are to provide reasonable explanations for: (1) the origin and purpose of E. coli in the human body; (2) the genesis of new pathogenic E. coli strains; and (3) a reasonable alternative to evolution in regard to past changes in E. coli and similar bacteria. Finally, we discuss how E. coli fits into the historic, biblical worldview stages of Creation, Curse, Corruption, and Contagion.3 It will integrate the topics of modification and displacement for emerging diseases
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