A consideration of the current view and history of the people of Canvey Island, Essex, in the context of modern England with regard to the place of the church in community particularly in the face of bereavement and the conduct of funeral rites.

This study is the result of six years of part-time research by a practising Church of England minister. It focusses on the people of Canvey Island in Essex from the early 20th century when the church held sway over every aspect of their lives, to the present day when engagement with the church is one option of many. The study seeks to show how and why many who belong to no church congregation still call on the church at a time of bereavement and how the church might better recognise and sanctify the language and practice of those who would not call themselves religious. The thesis explores the many-faceted and often contradictory contextual issues of contemporary ministry with particular focus on the whole gamut of funeral ministry from miscarriage and neo-natal death to a death occurring naturally in old age. It examines the relationship between the intrinsic and the vernacular on the one hand and the language of the established church on the other. It recognises the so-called folk religion as the basic longing of humanity for meaning and order in a chaotic and seemingly random life: a longing which the church has largely adopted, organised, formalised, institutionalised and often fossilized. It considers how such desire is met by Civil celebrants and others if church ministers are slow to respond to the need. In this third decade of the twenty-first century, society is at a crucial crossroad with regard to the way in which we handle death, grief and an understanding of on-going life which survives the physical. A society increasingly at home with the connectedness of everything through the internet requires a church that understands and recognises its language and its longing. This thesis repeatedly addresses the ways that the church and its ministers need to embrace its changing role, particularly at the time of death. The author’s upbringing in the British West Indies is very different from that of the people of Canvey Island. In distilling the fruit of twenty-four years of ministry among them, he has sought to use readily intelligible language to tell the stories of the dying and the bereaved and to bring to bear academic studies from the fields of sociology, anthropology and theology in the context and light of the lived experience of parish life

From conifers to cognition: microbes, brain, and behavior

We would like to thank Hans Kuepper (Munich), Juergen Haas (Edinburgh), and Rob Moir† (Harvard) for constructive comments on the MS. This work was funded in part by the Benter Foundation.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

A Simple Suggestion for Reducing First-time Online Student Anxiety

Abstract This is a case study of a best-practice suggestion for addressing anxiety among first-time online students. This is a significant problem with many students new to online classes and one that benefits from early intervention. A simple devise for alleviating first-time online student anxiety is presented. Through the use of a Check-in Quiz, first-time online students can be taken on a tour of the class website without the fear and anxiety that typically accompany assignments and exams. This is a simple, low-pressure, and effective way of quickly introducing first-time students to the online class format. The essential elements that make an effective Check-in Quiz are also discussed

Redox Pioneer: Professor Joe M. McCord

Dr. Joe McCord (Ph.D. 1970) is recognized here as a Redox Pioneer because he has published at least three articles on antioxidant/redox biology as first/last author that have been cited over 1000 times and has published at least 37 articles each cited over 100 times. Dr. McCord is known for the monumental discovery of the antioxidant superoxide dismutase (SOD) while a graduate student under fellow redox pioneer Irwin Fridovich and demonstrating its necessity to aerobic life. Beyond this, McCord\u27s career is distinguished for bridging the gap from basic science to clinical relevance by showing the application of SOD and superoxide to human physiology, and characterizing the physiological functions of superoxide in inflammation, immunological chemotaxis, and ischemia-reperfusion injury, among other disease conditions. Work by McCord serves as the foundation upon which our understanding of how superoxide functions in a variety of physiological systems is built and demonstrates how superoxide is essential to aerobic life, yet, if left unchecked by SOD, toxic to a multitude of systems. These discoveries have substantial significance in a wide range of studies with applications in cardiovascular disease, cancer, neurology, and medicine, as well as general health and longevity. Dr. McCord\u27s contributions to free radical biology have been recognized through many prestigious achievement awards, honorary titles, and conferences around the world; each serving as a testament to his status as a redox pioneer

Clinically insignificant association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally.

Patellofemoral chondral lesions are frequently identified incidentally during the arthroscopic treatment of other knee pathologies. A role has been described for arthroscopic debridement of such lesions when symptoms are known to originate from pathology of the patellofemoral joint. However, it remains unclear how to manage lesions which are found incidentally whilst tackling other pathologies. The purpose of this study was to establish the strength of association between anterior knee pain and patellofemoral lesions identified incidentally in a typical arthroscopic population. A consecutive series of patients undergoing arthroscopy for a range of standard indications formed the basis of this cross section study. We excluded those with patellofemoral conditions in order to identify patellofemoral lesions which were solely incidental. Pre-operative assessments were performed on 64 patients, where anterior knee pain was sought by three methods: an annotated photographic knee pain map (PKPM), patient indication with one finger and by palpated tenderness. A single surgeon, who was blinded to previous recordings, performed standard arthroscopies and recorded patellofemoral lesions. Statistical correlations were performed to identify the association magnitude. Associations were identified between incidental patellofemoral lesions and tenderness palpated on the medial patella (P=0.007, χ2=0.32) and the quadriceps tendon (P=0.029, χ2=0.26), but these associations were at best fair, which could be interpreted as clinically insignificant. In which case incidental patellofemoral lesions are not necessarily associated with anterior knee pain, we suggest that they could be left alone. This recommendation is only applicable to patellofemoral lesions which are found incidentally whilst addressing other pathology

Chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometer for the in situ measurement of methyl hydrogen peroxide

A new approach for measuring gas-phase methyl hydrogen peroxide [(MHP) CH_3OOH] utilizing chemical ionization mass spectrometry is presented. Tandem mass spectrometry is used to avoid mass interferences that hindered previous attempts to measure atmospheric CH_3OOH with CF_3O− clustering chemistry. CH_3OOH has been successfully measured in situ using this technique during both airborne and ground-based campaigns. The accuracy and precision for the MHP measurement are a function of water vapor mixing ratio. Typical precision at 500 pptv MHP and 100 ppmv H_2O is ±80 pptv (2 sigma) for a 1 s integration period. The accuracy at 100 ppmv H_2O is estimated to be better than ±40%. Chemical ionization tandem mass spectrometry shows considerable promise for the determination of in situ atmospheric trace gas mixing ratios where isobaric compounds or mass interferences impede accurate measurements

Continuous Flow Metal Recovery System Using Magnetic Nanocomposites for Contaminated Waters

Many natural water sources and industrial wastewaters contain low concentrations of metals and other contaminants. Therefore, an effective and economical approach is needed for contaminant removal and recovery. The purpose of the research is to improve and modify a continuous flow metal recovery system, that was originally developed for acid mine drainage treatment, for expansion to a variety of non-industrial applications, including removal metal ions from the Upper Clark Fork River Watershed. The system employs an electromagnet to collect magnetically susceptible nanoscale particles, which in turn adsorb metal ions. Metal ion capture has been examined using natural magnetite nanoparticles (Fe3O4 NPs), silica-coated Fe3O4 NPs, and chitosancoated Fe3O4 NPs. Current research is focused on particle synthesis and maximizing contaminant capture efficiency. Preliminary results indicate that silica-coated NPs are more effective than magnetite and chitosancoated NPs for copper recovery from surrogate solutions at low copper concentrations

Using mouse transgenic and human stem cell technologies to model genetic mutations associated with schizophrenia and autism

Funding M.J. is funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, the Sackler Foundation and the RS Macdonald Trust. Acknowledgements We are grateful to the Royal Society for their support of the costs of attending the meeting ‘Of mice and mental health: facilitating dialogue between basic and clinical neuroscientists' convened by Amy Milton and Emily A. Holmes.Peer reviewedPublisher PD