Evangelical Christianity and Women’s Changing Lives

Women have outnumbered men as followers of Christianity at least since the transition to industrial capitalist modernity in the West. Yet developments in women's lives in relation to employment, family and feminist values are challenging their Christian religiosity. Building on a new strand of gender analysis in the sociology of religion, this article argues that gender is central to patterns of religiosity and secularization in the West. It then offers a case study of evangelical Christianity in England to illustrate how changes in women's lives are affecting their religiosity. Specifically, it argues that evangelical Christianity continues to be important among women occupying more traditional social positions (as wives and mothers), but adherence is declining among the growing number whose lives do not fit this older model

Probing heat generation during tensile plastic deformation of a bulk metallic glass at cryogenic temperature

Despite significant research efforts, the deformation and failure mechanisms of metallic glasses remain not well understood. In the absence of periodic structure, these materials typically deform in highly localized, thin shear bands at ambient and low temperatures. This process usually leads to an abrupt fracture, hindering their wider use in structural applications. The dynamics and temperature effects on the formation and operation of those shear bands have been the focus of long-standing debate. Here, we use a new experimental approach based on localized boiling of liquid nitrogen by the heat generated in the shear bands to monitor the tensile plastic deformation of a bulk metallic glass submerged in a cryogenic bath. With the “nitrogen bubbles heat sensor”, we could capture the heat dissipation along the primary shear banding plane and follow the dynamics of the shear band operation. The observation of nitrogen boiling on the surface of the deforming metallic glass gives direct evidence of temperature increase in the shear bands, even at cryogenic temperatures. An acceleration in bubble nucleation towards the end of the apparent plastic deformation suggests a change from steady-state to runaway shear and premonitions the fracture, allowing us to resolve the sequence of deformation and failure events

Tensile properties of Zr70Ni16Cu6Al8 BMG at room and cryogenic temperatures

The mechanical behaviour in tension of a hypoeutectic Zr70Ni16Cu6Al8 Bulk Metallic Glass (BMG) was studied at room (295 K) and cryogenic temperatures (150 K and 77 K) using various strain rates between 10−4 and 10−1 s−1. The yield strength was found to increase at lower temperatures with average values increasing by 16%, from 1503 MPa at 295 K to 1746 MPa at 77 K. The Zr-based BMG was found to exhibit tensile plastic elongation of about 0.4% before fracture at room temperature and high strain rates (10−1 s−1). Even higher tensile plasticity was recorded at low temperatures; plastic deformation was found highest at the intermediate temperature (150 K) reaching remarkable plastic strains in the order of 3.9%, while values up to 1.5% were recorded at 77 K. The lateral surface of the tensile specimens was observed in-situ during deformation using a high frame rate camera offering interesting insights with regard to the deformation mechanisms. Room temperature plasticity occurred through the formation and interaction of several nucleated shear bands before critical failure, while at intermediate and liquid nitrogen temperatures, most of the plastic deformation was accommodated through stable flow within a single shear band

The search for solar axions in the CAST experiment

The CAST (CERN Axion Solar Telescope) experiment at CERN searches for solar axions with energies in the keV range. It is possible that axions are produced in the core of the sun by the interaction of thermal photons with virtual photons of strong electromagnetic fields. In this experiment, the solar axions can be reconverted to photons in the transversal field of a 9 Tesla superconducting magnet. At both ends of the 10m-long dipole magnet three different X-ray detectors were installed, which are sensitive in the interesting photon energy range. Preliminary results from the analysis of the 2004 data are presented: g$_{a\gamma}<0.9\times10^{-10}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at 95% C.L. for axion masses m$_{a} <$ 0.02 eV. At the end of 2005, data started to be taken with a buffer gas in the magnet pipes in order to extend the sensitivity to axion masses up to 0.8 eV.The CAST (CERN Axion Solar Telescope) experiment at CERN searches for solar axions with energies in the keV range. It is possible that axions are produced in the core of the sun by the interaction of thermal photons with virtual photons of strong electromagnetic fields. In this experiment, the solar axions can be reconverted to photons in the transversal field of a 9 Tesla superconducting magnet. At both ends of the 10m-long dipole magnet three different X-ray detectors were installed, which are sensitive in the interesting photon energy range. Preliminary results from the analysis of the 2004 data are presented: g$_{a\gamma}<0.9\times10^{-10}$ GeV$^{-1}$ at 95% C.L. for axion masses m$_{a} <$ 0.02 eV. At the end of 2005, data started to be taken with a buffer gas in the magnet pipes in order to extend the sensitivity to axion masses up to 0.8 eV

Increasing vegetable intakes: rationale and systematic review of published interventions

Purpose While the health benefits of a high fruit and vegetable consumption are well known and considerable work has attempted to improve intakes, increasing evidence also recognises a distinction between fruit and vegetables, both in their impacts on health and in consumption patterns. Increasing work suggests health benefits from a high consumption specifically of vegetables, yet intakes remain low, and barriers to increasing intakes are prevalent making intervention difficult. A systematic review was undertaken to identify from the published literature all studies reporting an intervention to increase intakes of vegetables as a distinct food group. Methods Databases—PubMed, PsychInfo and Medline—were searched over all years of records until April 2015 using pre-specified terms. Results Our searches identified 77 studies, detailing 140 interventions, of which 133 (81 %) interventions were conducted in children. Interventions aimed to use or change hedonic factors, such as taste, liking and familiarity (n = 72), use or change environmental factors (n = 39), use or change cognitive factors (n = 19), or a combination of strategies (n = 10). Increased vegetable acceptance, selection and/or consumption were reported to some degree in 116 (83 %) interventions, but the majority of effects seem small and inconsistent. Conclusions Greater percent success is currently found from environmental, educational and multi-component interventions, but publication bias is likely, and long-term effects and cost-effectiveness are rarely considered. A focus on long-term benefits and sustained behaviour change is required. Certain population groups are also noticeably absent from the current list of tried interventions

Selenium-containing amino acids are targets for myeloperoxidase-derived hypothiocyanous acid: determination of absolute rate constants and implications for biological damage

Elevated MPO (myeloperoxidase) levels are associated with multiple human inflammatory pathologies. MPO catalyses the oxidation of Cl−, Br− and SCN− by H2O2 to generate the powerful oxidants hypochlorous acid (HOCl), hypobromous acid (HOBr) and hypothiocyanous acid (HOSCN) respectively. These species are antibacterial agents, but misplaced or excessive production is implicated in tissue damage at sites of inflammation. Unlike HOCl and HOBr, which react with multiple targets, HOSCN targets cysteine residues with considerable selectivity. In the light of this reactivity, we hypothesized that Sec (selenocysteine) residues should also be rapidly oxidized by HOSCN, as selenium atoms are better nucleophiles than sulfur. Such oxidation might inactivate critical Sec-containing cellular protective enzymes such as GPx (glutathione peroxidase) and TrxR (thioredoxin reductase). Stopped-flow kinetic studies indicate that seleno-compounds react rapidly with HOSCN with rate constants, k, in the range 2.8×103–5.8×106 M−1·s−1 (for selenomethionine and selenocystamine respectively). These values are ~6000-fold higher than the corresponding values for H2O2, and are also considerably larger than for the reaction of HOSCN with thiols (16-fold for cysteine and 80-fold for selenocystamine). Enzyme studies indicate that GPx and TrxR, but not glutathione reductase, are inactivated by HOSCN in a concentration-dependent manner; k for GPx has been determined as ~5×105 M−1·s−1. Decomposed HOSCN did not induce inactivation. These data indicate that selenocysteine residues are oxidized rapidly by HOSCN, with this resulting in the inhibition of the critical intracellular Sec-dependent protective enzymes GPx and TrxR

Precise timing and recent advancements with segmented anode PICOSEC Micromegas prototypes

Timing information in current and future accelerator facilities is important for resolving objects (particle tracks, showers, etc.) in extreme large particles multiplicities on the detection systems. The PICOSEC Micromegas detector has demonstrated the ability to time 150\,GeV muons with a sub-25\,ps precision. Driven by detailed simulation studies and a phenomenological model which describes stochastically the dynamics of the signal formation, new PICOSEC designs were developed that significantly improve the timing performance of the detector. PICOSEC prototypes with reduced drift gap size ($\sim$\SI{119}{\micro\metre}) achieved a resolution of 45\,ps in timing single photons in laser beam tests (in comparison to 76\,ps of the standard PICOSEC detector). Towards large area detectors, multi-pad PICOSEC prototypes with segmented anodes has been developed and studied. Extensive tests in particle beams revealed that the multi-pad PICOSEC technology provides also very precise timing, even when the induced signal is shared among several neighbouring pads. Furthermore, new signal processing algorithms have been developed, which can be applied during data acquisition and provide real time, precise timing.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures, 12th International Conference on Position Sensitive Detector

Genes implicated in multiple sclerosis pathogenesis from consilience of genotyping and expression profiles in relapse and remission

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory demyelinating disease of the central nervous system (CNS). Although the pathogenesis of MS remains unknown, it is widely regarded as an autoimmune disease mediated by T-lymphocytes directed against myelin proteins and/or other oligodendrocyte epitopes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>In this study we investigated the gene expression profiles of peripheral blood cells from patients with RRMS during the relapse and the remission phases utilizing gene microarray technology. Dysregulated genes encoded in regions associated with MS susceptibility from genomic screens or previous trancriptomic studies were identified. The proximal promoter region polymorphisms of two genes were tested for association with disease and expression level.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Distinct sets of dysregulated genes during the relapse and remission phases were identified including genes involved in apoptosis and inflammation. Three of these dysregulated genes have been previously implicated with MS susceptibility in genomic screens: TGFβ1, CD58 and DBC1. TGFβ1 has one common SNP in the proximal promoter: -508 T>C (rs1800469). Genotyping two Australian trio sets (total 620 families) found a trend for over-transmission of the T allele in MS in females (p < 0.13). Upregulation of CD58 and DBC1 in remission is consistent with their putative roles in promoting regulatory T cells and reducing cell proliferation, respectively. A fourth gene, ALOX5, is consistently found over-expressed in MS. Two common genetic variants were confirmed in the ALOX5 putatve promoter: -557 T>C (rs12762303) and a 6 bp tandem repeat polymorphism (GGGCGG) between position -147 and -176; but no evidence for transmission distortion found.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The dysregulation of these genes tags their metabolic pathways for further investigation for potential therapeutic intervention.</p

The insect, Galleria mellonella, is a compatible model for evaluating the toxicology of okadaic acid

The polyether toxin, okadaic acid, causes diarrhetic shellfish poisoning in humans. Despite extensive research into its cellular targets using rodent models, we know little about its putative effect(s) on innate immunity. We inoculated larvae of the greater waxmoth, Galleria mellonella, with physiologically relevant doses of okadaic acid by direct injection into the haemocoel (body cavity) and/or gavage (force-feeding). We monitored larval survival and employed a range of cellular and biochemical assays to assess the potential harmful effects of okadaic acid. Okadaic acid at concentrations >75 ng/larva (>242 µg/kg) led to significant reductions in larval survival (>65%) and circulating haemocyte (blood cell) numbers (>50%) within 24 h post-inoculation. In the haemolymph, okadaic acid reduced haemocyte viability and increased phenoloxidase activities. In the midgut, okadaic acid induced oxidative damage as determined by increases in superoxide dismutase activity and levels of malondialdehyde (i.e., lipid peroxidation). Our observations of insect larvae correspond broadly to data published using rodent models of shellfish poisoning toxidrome, including complementary LD50 values; 206–242 μg/kg in mice, ~239 μg/kg in G. mellonella. These data support the use of this insect as a surrogate model for the investigation of marine toxins, which offers distinct ethical and financial incentives