Selection for cognitive control: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study on the selection of task-relevant information

The complex environment we live in makes it necessary to distinguish relevant from irrelevant information constantly and reliably. The aim of the present study was to investigate the neural substrate underlying the selection of task-relevant information. We devised a new paradigm in which participants had to switch between two different tasks that were instructed by task cues. The task cues had a relevant and an irrelevant cue dimension. In congruent trials, both cue dimensions indicated the same task; in incongruent trials, they indicated different tasks; and in neutral trials, only the relevant dimension indicated a task. By comparing trials in which both cue dimensions were informative (congruent and incongruent trials) with trials in which only the relevant dimension was informative (neutral trials), we were able to show that the lateral prefrontal cortex and a region in the intraparietal sulcus are involved in the selection of task-relevant information. Furthermore, the present paradigm allows the influence of the selected task and stimulus dimension to be investigated. No significant influence was found in the prefrontal cortex, indicating that this region serves a very abstract role in the selection of task-relevant information

Spiritual connections made through music making: sharing faith and music in an Australian setting

The musical involvement of people over the centuries is fundamentally interwoven with spiritual experiences (Seifert 2011). This paper discusses the connection between music and spirituality in an inter-denominational group in the southeastern suburbs of Melbourne. With ethical clearance, through semi-structured interviews with two church leaders and the music worship team, subsequently employing Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), I analysed and codified the data gathered. Two overarching themes are discussed: insights into music and spirituality; and connecting music to worship with self and others. The findings show that music in worship may provide a rich pathway for people to explore, experience, and express their spirituality, and to connect to the wider multicultural society. It also adds to the current debates on whether music has spiritual significance for some people apart from community expressions of spirituality through music. Limitations of the current study are knowledged and generalizations cannot be made regarding connections to music and spirituality. However, the findings do indicate that music in worship can enrich one’s spiritual experience and connection with God and others

Bilateral Accessory Breast: A Case Report

Accessory breast is a relatively rare conduction, which is commoner in females than males. Most of them do not cause any discomforting symptoms but cosmetic embarrassment especially to a woman in the presence of her partner.Case Summary: A 23-year-old postpartum woman is presented who was managed for bilateral accessory breast at a district hospital. The accessory breasts were excised under ketamine anaesthesia.Conclusion: The treatment of accessory breast is excision because all disease conditions that affect normal breast can also affect accessory breast including malignant transformation

Service, Education, and Advocacy within a Student-Run Pharmacy: An Evaluation of the Butler University Community Outreach Pharmacy

Objective To investigate three domains of the student-run Butler University Community Outreach Pharmacy’s (BUCOP) mission statement. Methods This multi-phase, survey-based study evaluated the execution of BUCOP’s mission statement in the areas of service, education, and advocacy. Results The service survey found that the majority (~78%) of patients were satisfied with most aspects of BUCOP’s care; however, patients were most displeased with hours of operation and wait time. The education survey results demonstrated BUCOP’s role as an early confidence-building experience; however, noteworthy clinical interactions with medical students were limited. The advocacy survey revealed that 96% of community members interviewed were unaware of BUCOP; however, they reported comfort with students providing prescriptions and counseling. Conclusion BUCOP is satisfactorily fulfilling its mission statement in terms of service and education, but improvements can be made to better impact patients and students. In the area of advocacy, particularly community awareness of BUCOP’s free healthcare services, the mission is not being fulfilled

A Sound Vote: Integrity, Music Copyright, and Politics in the Philippines

This research aims to determine whether the moral right of integrity may be invoked by composers or performers to prevent the use of their music for political campaigning. Protecting the integrity of a work does not only mean keeping a work unchanged but also includes preventing its use in an undesirable context. Under ordinary circumstances, a license from the music publisher or agent would be enough permission to play or perform music publicly. However, political campaigns are uniquely complicated situations because permitting the use of one’s music might be perceived as support for a political candidate, party, or ideology. The risk of damaging the artist’s brand and reputation is much greater. This study submits that, apart from the economic considerations, due diligence requires the licensing parties to clear the moral rights concerned before proceeding with any transaction. While there has been no Philippine case law involving the use of copyrighted music in political campaigns, this study examines foreign case law, commentaries, and experiences to help understand how the Philippines should move forward with its own policies. This analysis suggests that authors or performers of musical works may invoke the moral right of integrity to prohibit the use of their songs in political campaigns due to the risk of harm to their work and reputation

Buddhist Modernism in the Philippines: Emerging Localization of Humanistic Buddhism

Mahayana Buddhism is well known for being successfully implanted in various cultures. Chinese Buddhism, considered one of the three great religions of China along with Confucianism and Taoism, is a classic example. From China, Buddhism traveled further and, in the twentieth century, developed a particular way of engaging the world. Humanistic Buddhism, a particular form of engaged Buddhism that grew out of twentieth-century Chinese Buddhism, has been present in the Philippines since the 1990s and signaled a new phase in the growth of Buddhism in the country. In particular, the Philippine initiators of Foguangshan and Ciji did not limit themselves to the ethnic Chinese community from the outset, and both movements have achieved modest success in the last thirty years. By building on previous research with new inputs from key informants, this article explores the emerging localization of Foguangshan and Ciji in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, identifying the particular ways in which the two groups adapted their missions in the country

PHILOSOPHY AS MEDIATION BETWEEN RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS, INSIGHTS FROM JÜRGEN HABERMAS

The task of this paper is to show how philosophy can mediate in the conflict of religious traditions, using the insights of Jürgen Habermas in his acceptance speech on the occasion of the award of the Karl Jaspers Prize of the Town and University of Heidelberg on 26 September 1994, “The Conflict of Beliefs, Karl Jaspers on the Clash of Cultures.” Habermas may not have addressed the problem directly, but his insights provide meaningful hints in the conduct of inter-faith dialogues of religious communities

Elucidating the Binding Pockect of the GPR119 Receptor, a Type 2 Diabetes Target

An in-house homology model of the GPR119 receptor was used to identify residues which may affect ligand binding and ligand-dependent activity through computational and experimental studies. In a docking study comparing an agonist and its inverse agonist structural analog, Leu5.43169, L6.52242 and Ser1.324 appear to be involved in ligand binding. These residues were mutated experimentally to test the predictions of the homology model. The in vitro studies indicate that Leu5.43169 and Ser1.324 mutations cause ten-fold and six-fold decreases in ligand-induced cAMP formation, indicating their importance in ligand-induced activation. Leu6.52242 mutations show minimal effect in cAMP production, indicating a lesser involvement in ligand binding. MD simulations of the homology model bound to an agonist indicate that Leu5.43169 has an indirect effect in ligand binding, via interactions with Phe6.51241, whereas Leu6.52242 is not facing the binding pocket. Ser1.324 seems to interact occasionally with the ligand headgroup