Anis of Dolma Ling: Buddhist Doctrine and Social Praxis Through the Monasticism of Tibetan Nuns in Exile

The figure of the Tibetan Buddhist nun as a female monastic is situated within a matrix of complexities and contradictions that are constituted by textual and doctrinal sources, Tibetan social views on gender and female monasticism, and experiential realities. In order to understand the situation of nuns, one first must understand that monasticism, mainly the order of monks, has been a highly respected and financially supported institution in Tibetan society for centuries. However, because the histories of Tibetan nuns and female renunciants have gone primarily undocumented, their lineages and stories are much more opaque than those of Tibetan monks. Therefore, most of the scholarship on female Buddhist practitioners, with the exception of a few extraordinary yoginis, dates after the Chinese occupation of Tibet in the 1950s. Historically it is believed that there were a few great nunneries that existed centuries ago, but the majority of Tibetan nunneries have been smaller and lacking in the lay support and funding granted to monasteries. Currently, however, the landscape of Tibetan nuns is beginning to shift, as new resources and educational opportunities are beginning to be made available for Tibetan nuns in exile. It is on these nuns and nunneries in exile that this thesis will focus

Where it All Began

In celebration of the 20th issue of The Park Place Economist, this year\u27s Alumni Editors are thrilled to feature three outstanding alumni who made significant contributions to the successful publication of the very first issue

The Prominence of Affect in Creativity: Expanding the Conception of Creativity in Mathematical Problem Solving

Constructs such as fluency, flexibility, originality, and elaboration have been accepted as integral components of creativity. In this chapter, the authors discuss affect (Leder GC, Pehkonen E, Törner G (eds), Beliefs: a hidden variable in mathematics education? Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, 2002; McLeod DB, J Res Math Educ 25:637–647, 1994; McLeod DB, Adams VM, Affect and mathematical problem solving: a new perspective. Springer, New York, 1989) as it relates to the production of creative outcomes in mathematical problem solving episodes. The saliency of affect in creativity cannot be underestimated, as problem solvers require an appropriate state of mind in order to be maximally productive in creative endeavors. Attention is invested in commonly accepted sub-constructs of affect such as anxiety, aspiration(s), attitude, interest, and locus of control, self-efficacy, self-esteem, and value (Anderson LW, Bourke SF, Assessing affective characteristics in the schools. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Mahwah, 2000). A new sub-construct of creativity that is germane and instrumental to the production of creative outcomes is called iconoclasm and it is discussed in the context of mathematical problem solving episodes

Radio Wavelength Transients: Current and Emerging Prospects

Known classes of radio wavelength transients range from the nearby--stellar flares and radio pulsars--to the distant Universe--\gamma-ray burst afterglows. Hypothesized classes of radio transients include analogs of known objects, e.g., extrasolar planets emitting Jovian-like radio bursts and giant-pulse emitting pulsars in other galaxies, to the exotic, prompt emission from \gamma-ray bursts, evaporating black holes, and transmitters from other civilizations. A number of instruments and facilities are either under construction or in early observational stages and are slated to become available in the next few years. With a combination of wide fields of view and wavelength agility, the detection and study of radio transients will improve immensely.Comment: to appear in proceedings of Hot-wiring the Transient Universe, 2008 March issue of Astronomische Nachrichte

Comprehensive Peroxidase-Based Hematologic Profiling for The Prediction of 1-Year Myocardial Infarction and Death

Background— Recognition of biological patterns holds promise for improved identification of patients at risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and death. We hypothesized that identifying high- and low-risk patterns from a broad spectrum of hematologic phenotypic data related to leukocyte peroxidase-, erythrocyte- and platelet-related parameters may better predict future cardiovascular risk in stable cardiac patients than traditional risk factors alone. Methods and Results— Stable patients (n=7369) undergoing elective cardiac evaluation at a tertiary care center were enrolled. A model (PEROX) that predicts incident 1-year death and MI was derived from standard clinical data combined with information captured by a high-throughput peroxidase-based hematology analyzer during performance of a complete blood count with differential. The PEROX model was developed using a random sampling of subjects in a derivation cohort (n=5895) and then independently validated in a nonoverlapping validation cohort (n=1474). Twenty-three high-risk (observed in ≥10% of subjects with events) and 24 low-risk (observed in ≥10% of subjects without events) patterns were identified in the derivation cohort. Erythrocyte- and leukocyte (peroxidase)-derived parameters dominated the variables predicting risk of death, whereas variables in MI risk patterns included traditional cardiac risk factors and elements from all blood cell lineages. Within the validation cohort, the PEROX model demonstrated superior prognostic accuracy (78%) for 1-year risk of death or MI compared with traditional risk factors alone (67%). Furthermore, the PEROX model reclassified 23.5% (P\u3c0.001) of patients to different risk categories for death/MI when added to traditional risk factors. Conclusion— Comprehensive pattern recognition of high- and low-risk clusters of clinical, biochemical, and hematologic parameters provided incremental prognostic value in stable patients having elective diagnostic cardiac catheterization for 1-year risks of death and MI

Comprehensive Peroxidase-Based Hematologic Profiling for The Prediction of 1-Year Myocardial Infarction and Death

Background— Recognition of biological patterns holds promise for improved identification of patients at risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and death. We hypothesized that identifying high- and low-risk patterns from a broad spectrum of hematologic phenotypic data related to leukocyte peroxidase-, erythrocyte- and platelet-related parameters may better predict future cardiovascular risk in stable cardiac patients than traditional risk factors alone. Methods and Results— Stable patients (n=7369) undergoing elective cardiac evaluation at a tertiary care center were enrolled. A model (PEROX) that predicts incident 1-year death and MI was derived from standard clinical data combined with information captured by a high-throughput peroxidase-based hematology analyzer during performance of a complete blood count with differential. The PEROX model was developed using a random sampling of subjects in a derivation cohort (n=5895) and then independently validated in a nonoverlapping validation cohort (n=1474). Twenty-three high-risk (observed in ≥10% of subjects with events) and 24 low-risk (observed in ≥10% of subjects without events) patterns were identified in the derivation cohort. Erythrocyte- and leukocyte (peroxidase)-derived parameters dominated the variables predicting risk of death, whereas variables in MI risk patterns included traditional cardiac risk factors and elements from all blood cell lineages. Within the validation cohort, the PEROX model demonstrated superior prognostic accuracy (78%) for 1-year risk of death or MI compared with traditional risk factors alone (67%). Furthermore, the PEROX model reclassified 23.5% (P\u3c0.001) of patients to different risk categories for death/MI when added to traditional risk factors. Conclusion— Comprehensive pattern recognition of high- and low-risk clusters of clinical, biochemical, and hematologic parameters provided incremental prognostic value in stable patients having elective diagnostic cardiac catheterization for 1-year risks of death and MI