Extending Continuum Models for Atom Probe Simulation

This work describes extensions to existing level-set algorithms developed for application within the field of Atom Probe Tomography (APT). We present a new simulation tool for the simulation of 3D tomographic volumes, using advanced level set methods. By combining narrow-band, B-Tree and particle-tracing approaches from level-set methods, we demonstrate a practical tool for simulating shape changes to APT samples under applied electrostatic fields, in three dimensions. This work builds upon our previous studies by allowing for non-axially symmetric solutions, with minimal loss in computational speed, whilst retaining numerical accuracy

The Right to Religious Freedom and its Political Significance: Catholic and Islamic Approaches

It is generally agreed that the Catholic Church formally committed itself to modern human rights in 1963 as a result of Pope John XXIII’s encyclical, Pacem in Terris.But it was the more specific historical development regarding the right to religious freedom that took place two years later at the Second Vatican Council, which really prompted global change. As Samuel Huntington wrote, the Church’s commitment to religious liberty on the part of all persons (and to the liberty of non-religious persons) had an extraordinary impact on democracy movements around the world. Indeed, Huntington referred to these movements as a “Catholic wave.” At a moment when democracy appears increasingly threatened by various authoritarian nationalist and populist forces across the globe, and the Islamic world, in particular, is experiencing a retreat from the hopes of the Arab Spring, it seems pertinent to explore how the right to religious freedom is conceived and practiced amongst Muslims. In the latter case, one thinks in particular of the dashed hopes in Egypt between 2011-13, which were caused, at least partly, by the lack of faith on the part of Coptic Christians and other “liberally-minded” citizens to the government of the Muslim Brotherhood. Unlike the Catholic Church, the Brotherhood had failed to reform itself with respect to issues such as religious freedom and thus, for many people, was simply unprepared to govern. There are, of course, practical considerations for why such reform did not take place (not least the effects of colonialism in Egypt). But what are the theological issues? In this paper, I will explore the extent to which Islam can embrace a universal right to religious freedom, bearing in mind the implications that such commitment might have not only for the citizens of Egypt, but also for Muslims (and non-Muslims) across the Islamic world

Normal pregnancy is associated with an increase in thrombin generation from the very early stages of the first trimester

Background: Pregnancy is a hypercoagulable state associated with an increased risk of venous thrombosis, which begins during the first trimester, but the exact time of onset is unknown. Thrombin generation, a laboratory marker of thrombosis risk, increases during normal pregnancy but it is unclear exactly how early this increase occurs. Methods: We assessed thrombin generation by Calibrated Automated Thrombography in women undergoing natural cycle in vitro fertilization, who subsequently gave birth at term following a normal pregnancy (n = 22). Blood samples were taken just prior to conception and repeated five times during very early pregnancy, up to Day 59 estimated gestation. Results: Mean Endogenous Thrombin Potential (ETP), peak thrombin generation and Velocity Index (VI) increased significantly from pre-pregnancy to Day 43 gestation (p = 0.024–0.0004). This change persisted to Day 59 gestation. The mean of the percentage change from baseline, accounting for inter-individual variation, in ETP, peak thrombin and VI increased significantly from pre-pregnancy to Day 32 gestation (p = 0.0351–<0.0001) with the mean increase from baseline persisting to Day 59 gestation. Conclusion: Thrombin generation increases significantly during the very early stages of normal pregnancy when compared to the pre-pregnancy state. The increased risk of venous thrombosis therefore likely begins very early in a woman's pregnancy, suggesting that women considered clinically to be at high thrombotic risk should start thromboprophylaxis as early as possible after a positive pregnancy test

The Dignity of the Human Person: Catholic and Islamic Approaches to Human Rights

At the beginning of The Global Face of Public Faith, David Hollenbach, S.J., challenges the world’s religious communities to relate their distinctive visions of the good human life with the growing awareness that all persons are linked in a web of global interdependence. Hollenbach’s work is founded on an understanding of the common good that he discerns at Vatican II and calls “dialogic universalism.” It is universal because humans are sufficiently alike when it comes to the requirements for their respective goods; it is dialogic because cultural differences necessitate deep intellectual engagement across traditions if they are to be bridged. In this paper, I hope to engage in “dialogic universalism” by exploring the confluence between Catholic and Islamic approaches to human rights. The paper is part of a broad project in comparative ethics. The Catholic approach to human rights is premised on the dignity of the person. But the “person” here is conceived, crucially, as a social creature. Thus Hollenbach writes: “Catholic thought and action in the human rights sphere ... are rooted in a communitarian alternative to liberal human rights theory.” This alternative conception defines human rights as “the minimum conditions for life in community,” which is premised not only on the relational nature of the person (created in the image and likeness of a Trinitarian God), but also on a conception of justice as participation in the life of the human community for all persons. Consequently, rights are conceived not simply as negative immunities but more broadly as positive empowerments. I will argue that this vision of empowering all citizens to participate in communal life is replicated in the work of Iranian Shi’ite scholar Abdolkarim Soroush, for whom rights imply duties to others and thus the pursuit of social and economic justice in a democratic context

Jugant a definir la ciència: un diccionari de mots de ciència fet per i per a nens i nenes

El coneixement de la ciència es representa i es transfereix per mitjà de paraules que tenen un significat especialitzat, precís i concís. I tot i que és l'especialista en una matèria el que coneix i utilitza adequadament les paraules que vehiculen el coneixement del seu àmbit, el procés d'expertesa és progressiu i lent. De manera que les bases del coneixement especialitzat es comencen a adquirir en els primers anys de vida d'una persona. En aquest article presentem una aplicació lexicogràfica innovadora que estem desenvolupant en el marc del projecte Jugant a definir la ciència. Avalats pels estudis que sostenen que construïm el coneixement científic a partir de les categoritzacions de la realitat més pròxima, uns dels objectius d'aquest projecte és convertir els nens i les nenes de primer cicle de primària en petits lexicògrafs i elaborar un diccionari de cent mots de la ciència fet per i per a nens i nenes de sis i set anys.Playing to Define Science: a Dictionary of Words from Science Made by Children and for Children. Scientific knowledge is represented and transferred through words that have a specialized, precise and concise meaning. Although it is the specialists who know and use the correct words that convey the knowledge of their field, the process of specialization is gradual and slow and hence a base of specialized knowledge begins to form in the first years of a person’s life. In this article, we present an innovative lexicographical application that we are developing as part of the Playing to Define Science project. One of the aims of this project is to turn primary school children into small lexicographers and draw up a dictionary of 100 science words created by and for 6 and 7-year-old children. We have based our studies on those that argue we build our scientific knowledge from the categorizations contained in our immediate environment

Construir para deconstruir y volver a construir: elaboración colaborativa de un diccionario escolar de ciencias

Aquest article presenta la metodologia col·laborativa utilitzada en la construcció d'un diccionari escolar de ciències per a nens de 5 a 8 anys, basada en un corpus de definicions de nens. Durant 3 anys es va treballar amb 500 nens que van definir i van dibuixar els termes més bàsics de la ciència. A partir del cos, seleccionem només la informació acumulativa científicament positiva i així elaborem les definicions sense afegir nova informació. Finalment, l'article mostra la adequació del diccionari a través dels resultats d'una prova de comprensió realitzada amb 160 escolars. Aquests resultats permeten continuar amb projectes que treballin el llenguatge al costat del coneixement científic des dels inicis: no hi ha ciència sense paraules per referir-se a ella ni sense paraules per comunicar-la.This paper presents the collaborative methodology used in the creation of a school dictionary of science for children aged between 5 and 8 years, based on a corpus of definitions given by children in the Catalan language. The work was conducted over a period of 3 years with 500 children who defined and described the most basic terms of science. From the corpus, we selected only the accumulated information which was scientifically positive and thus produced definitions without adding new information. Finally, the article demonstrates the suitability of the dictionary through the results of a lexical comprehension test carried out with 160 students. These results allow the carrying out of future plans which work the language with scientific knowledge from the beginnings: there is not science without words to represent it or to communicate it.Este artículo presenta la metodología colaborativa utilizada en la construcción de un diccionario escolar de ciencias para niños de 5 a 8 años, basada en un corpus de definiciones de niños. Durante 3 años se trabajó con 500 niños que definieron y dibujaron los términos más básicos de la ciencia. A partir del corpus, seleccionamos solo la información acumulativa científicamente positiva y así elaboramos las definiciones sin añadir nueva información. Finalmente, el artículo muestra la adecuación del diccionario a través de los resultados de una prueba de comprensión realizada con 160 escolares. Estos resultados permiten continuar con proyectos que trabajen el lenguaje junto al conocimiento científico desde los inicios: no hay ciencia sin palabras para referirse a ella ni sin palabras para comunicarla