Emile Durkheim and C. G. Jung: Structuring a Transpersonal Sociology of Religion

Religion is a prevalent theme in the works of both Emile Durkheim and C. G. Jung, who participated in a common intellectual milieu. A comparison of Durkheim’s collective consciousness and Jung’s collective unconscious reveals strikingly similar concepts. The components of these structures, collective representations and archetypes, illustrate interdependent sociological and psychological processes in the theorized creation of religious phenomena. An analysis of the constitutive elements in these processes offers a basis for structuring a transpersonal sociology of religion

Self Portrait

Self Portrait, a feature length screenplay set in present day Toronto, Berlin, and fictional Kirchenfeld, Bavaria, tells the story of Hugo, a schizophrenic recent art school graduate who wins a painting prize and exhibition spot at a gallery in Berlin. Having just months before found his fathers body after he killed himself, Hugo dramatically switches his painting style from his true passion, abstract expressionism, to photorealism, the style in which his father abusively trained him throughout his youth. The pressure to perform combined with his decision to stop taking his antipsychotic medication chip away at Hugos sanity. Encountering his doppelgnger, Hauke, upsets the new balance Hugo desperately struggles to maintain. Hugo is forced to take drastic actions to ensure Hauke does not jeopardize his success as a photorealist. Self Portrait is a story of the dangers of self-suppression and the struggle with an untreated mental illness

A UNIQUE APPROACH TO SUCCESSION PLANNING FOR DIABETES NURSES: EVALUATION OF AN EMERGING PROGRAMME

Aim To evaluate the emerging nurse internship programme developed by the Waikato Regional Diabetes Centre, Hamilton. Objectives To provide information on the emerging processes and the preliminary outcomes of the programme to the stakeholders of the Waikato Regional Diabetes Centre for planning and development. Methods The evaluation used a constructivist evaluation framework. Key stakeholders were interviewed individually or as a group at the beginning of the programme and at the end of the first rotation. The interns also completed self-assessment questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of their first rotation. Clients of the service completed a satisfaction questionnaire after receiving care from one of the interns. Results and conclusions The internship is a complex programme in that it has a number of parts, however the complexity makes the programme comprehensive. Two of the key factors that contributed to the programme’s early success, and which were valued by the interns, were the cohesive team environment and the inclusion in the programme of external professional supervision. At the end of the first rotation three of the interns had gained confidence in their knowledge and skills related to diabetes care while the fourth intern had lost confidence in her skills and knowledge. The programme added to the workload of the Clinical Nurse Specialists who provided clinical supervision but who were committed to providing supervision. One intern was positioned in a general practice so did not rotate around the other placements. The practice felt they had experienced gains from her being in the programme because she was able to take on patients with greater complexity in her clinics. Additionally, the other practice nurses increased their knowledge about diabetes as a result of the intern’s engagement in the programme and the relationship with the Waikato Regional Diabetes Centre

Separation of protein X from the dihydrolipoyl transacetylase component of the mammalian pyruvate dehydrogenase complex and the study of protein X

Call number: LD2668 .T4 BICH 1989 P69Master of ScienceBiochemistry and Molecular Biophysics Interdepartmental Progra

Electric Utility Restructuring: What Does It Mean for Residential and Small Retail Consumers in Maine?

On March 1, 2000, Maine will offer electric power through open competition, a restructuring that poses both advantages and disadvantages to residential and small retail consumers. While electric restructuring in Maine has been thoughtfully developed, the basic question of whether electricity rates will be lower for the average consumer will remain uncertain for some time. This uncertainty is linked not only to Maine’s electricity rate bidding process but also to potentially oligopolistic national trends. In addition, whether individual consumers achieve savings in their electricity costs will be determined, in part, by their choice of electricity supplier. While some consumers may prefer a higher-cost supplier because of the value-added services that accompany that option, others may make no choice and, by default, receive the standard option—where rates are determined by the Maine Public Utilities Commission (MPUC). In this article, the authors describe the factors that initiated the push toward restructuring, the history of the enabling legislation, and relevant portions of the MPUC’s Consumer Education Program. To consumers, the authors emphasize the importance of aggregation—clusters of buying groups—and detail how the nature of open competition may affect them. In particular, they call attention to the additional services that may be provided by electricity suppliers. Finally, in discussing the implications of deregulation, they lay out the uncertainties that lie ahead for consumers, policymakers, and regulators as Maine opens itself up to competition in the electric power

Mechanisms underpinning adaptations in placental calcium transport in normal mice and those with fetal growth restriction

Fetal delivery of calcium, via the placenta, is crucial for appropriate skeletal mineralization. We have previously demonstrated that maternofetal calcium transport, per gram placenta, is increased in the placental specific insulin-like growth factor 2 knockout mouse (P0) model of fetal growth restriction (FGR) compared to wild type littermates (WTL). This effect was mirrored in wild-type (WT) mice comparing lightest vs. heaviest (LvH) placentas in a litter. In both models increased placental calcium transport was associated with normalization of fetal calcium content. Despite this adaptation being observed in small normal (WT), and small dysfunctional (P0) placentas, mechanisms underpinning these changes remain unknown. Parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP), elevated in cord blood in FGR and known to stimulate plasma membrane calcium ATPase, might be important. We hypothesized that PTHrP expression would be increased in LvH WT placentas, and in P0 vs. WTL. We used calcium pathway-focused PCR arrays to assess whether mechanisms underpinning these adaptations in LvH WT placentas, and in P0 vs. WTL, were similar. PTHrP protein expression was not different between LvH WT placentas at E18.5 but trended toward increased expression (139%; P = 0.06) in P0 vs. WTL. PCR arrays demonstrated that four genes were differentially expressed in LvH WT placentas including increased expression of the calcium-binding protein calmodulin 1 (1.6-fold; P < 0.05). Twenty-four genes were differentially expressed in placentas of P0 vs. WTL; significant reductions were observed in expression of S100 calcium binding protein G (2-fold; P < 0.01), parathyroid hormone 1 receptor (1.7-fold; P < 0.01) and PTHrP (2-fold; P < 0.05), whilst serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1), a regulator of nutrient transporters, was increased (1.4 fold; P < 0.05). Tartrate resistant acid phosphatase 5 (TRAP5 encoded by Acp5) was reduced in placentas of both LvH WT and P0 vs. WTL (1.6- and 1.7-fold, respectively; P < 0.05). Signaling events underpinning adaptations in calcium transport are distinct between LvH placentas of WT mice and those in P0 vs. WTL. Calcium binding proteins appear important in functional adaptations in the former whilst PTHrP and SGK1 are also implicated in the latter. These data facilitate understanding of mechanisms underpinning placental calcium transport adaptation in normal and growth restricted fetuses

Placental dysfunction is associated with altered microRNA expression in pregnant women with low folate status

Scope: Low maternal folate status during pregnancy increases the risk of delivering small for gestational age (SGA) infants, but the mechanistic link between maternal folate status, SGA, and placental dysfunction is unknown. microRNAs (miRNAs) are altered in pregnancy pathologies and by folate in other systems. We hypothesized that low maternal folate status causes placental dysfunction, mediated by altered miRNA expression. Methods and results: A prospective observational study recruited pregnant adolescents and assessed third trimester folate status and placental function. miRNA array, QPCR, and bioinformatics identified placental miRNAs and target genes. Low maternal folate status is associated with higher incidence of SGA infants (28% versus 13%, p < 0.05) and placental dysfunction, including elevated trophoblast proliferation and apoptosis (p < 0.001), reduced amino acid transport (p < 0.01), and altered placental hormones (pregnancy-associated plasma protein A, progesterone, and human placental lactogen). miR-222-3p, miR-141-3p, and miR-34b-5p were upregulated by low folate status (p < 0.05). Bioinformatics predicted a gene network regulating cell turnover. Quantitative PCR demonstrated that key genes in this network (zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 2, v-myc myelocytomatosis viral oncogene homolog (avian), and cyclin-dependent kinase 6) were reduced (p < 0.05) in placentas with low maternal folate status. Conclusion: This study supports that placental dysfunction contributes to impaired fetal growth in women with low folate status and suggests altered placental expression of folate-sensitive miRNAs and target genes as a mechanistic link