17,603 research outputs found
Discernment as "not knowing" and "knowing": A perspective from Matthew 25:31-46
The article deals with Christian discernment as taking place at the juncture of Godâs Spirit and the human mind at work. To illustrate this, the concept of ânot knowingâ in Matthewâs Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (25:31-46) is examined, as well as the implicit presence of âknowingâ. The article starts by treating the concepts of âall the nationsâ and âthe leastâ in the parable. It is suggested that the traditional particularist and universalist interpretations need not oppose each other. Subsequently the ânot knowingâ of the sheep is treated. This is related to the grace of God and being empowered by the Holy Spirit. In addition, it is submitted that âknowingâ is also present, in terms of actively seeking the will of God. Thus, Christian discernment takes place at the juncture of ânot knowingâ (being empowered by God) and âknowingâ (purposefully seeking the will of God)
Reading the New Testament from a theological perspective
This article argues that, from the perspective of the faith community, it is not enough to read the Bible only from a âtechnicalâ point of view; a theological perspective is also required. Subsequently the article deals with what a theological reading entails: A reader-orientated and a text-orientated view are presented
Future Possibilities for Observing HI at High Redshift
We briefly review the beginnings of HI astronomy, proceed to an assessment of
our current capabilities in this area, and continue by considering what will be
necessary to push back the frontier to cosmological distances. We then consider
how such a leap in performance might be realized.Comment: 8 page LaTeX requires crckapb.sty and psfig.sty, 9 compressed and
tarred postscript figures (750kB) available at
ftp://ftp.nfra.nl/pub/outgoing/rbraun/futposhi/figs.tar.Z Complete compressed
postscript paper (790kB) available at
ftp://ftp.nfra.nl/pub/outgoing/rbraun/futposhi/paper.ps.Z To appear in "Cold
Gas at High Redshift", Eds. M.Bremer et al. (Kluwer, Dordrecht
Status and potential of bacterial genomics for public health practice : a scoping review
Background: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) is increasingly being translated into routine public health practice, affecting the surveillance and control of many pathogens. The purpose of this scoping review is to identify and characterize the recent literature concerning the application of bacterial pathogen genomics for public health practice and to assess the added value, challenges, and needs related to its implementation from an epidemiologistâs perspective.
Methods: In this scoping review, a systematic PubMed search with forward and backward snowballing was performed to identify manuscripts in English published between January 2015 and September 2018. Included studies had to describe the application of NGS on bacterial isolates within a public health setting. The studied pathogen, year of publication, country, number of isolates, sampling fraction, setting, public health application, study aim, level of implementation, time orientation of the NGS analyses, and key findings were extracted from each study. Due to a large heterogeneity of settings, applications, pathogens, and study measurements, a descriptive narrative synthesis of the eligible studies was performed.
Results: Out of the 275 included articles, 164 were outbreak investigations, 70 focused on strategy-oriented surveillance, and 41 on control-oriented surveillance. Main applications included the use of whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data for (1) source tracing, (2) early outbreak detection, (3) unraveling transmission dynamics, (4) monitoring drug resistance, (5) detecting cross-border transmission events, (6) identifying the emergence of strains with enhanced virulence or zoonotic potential, and (7) assessing the impact of prevention and control programs. The superior resolution over conventional typing methods to infer transmission routes was reported as an added value, as well as the ability to simultaneously characterize the resistome and virulome of the studied pathogen. However, the full potential of pathogen genomics can only be reached through its integration with high-quality contextual data.
Conclusions: For several pathogens, it is time for a shift from proof-of-concept studies to routine use of WGS during outbreak investigations and surveillance activities. However, some implementation challenges from the epidemiologistâs perspective remain, such as data integration, quality of contextual data, sampling strategies, and meaningful interpretations. Interdisciplinary, inter-sectoral, and international collaborations are key for an appropriate genomics-informed surveillance
A quantitative comparison of sRNA-based and protein-based gene regulation
Small, non-coding RNAs (sRNAs) play important roles as genetic regulators in
prokaryotes. sRNAs act post-transcriptionally via complementary pairing with
target mRNAs to regulate protein expression. We use a quantitative approach to
compare and contrast sRNAs with conventional transcription factors (TFs) to
better understand the advantages of each form of regulation. In particular, we
calculate the steady-state behavior, noise properties, frequency-dependent gain
(amplification), and dynamical response to large input signals of both forms of
regulation. While the mean steady-state behavior of sRNA-regulated proteins
exhibits a distinctive tunable threshold-linear behavior, our analysis shows
that transcriptional bursting leads to significantly higher intrinsic noise in
sRNA-based regulation than in TF-based regulation in a large range of
expression levels and limits the ability of sRNAs to perform quantitative
signaling. Nonetheless, we find that sRNAs are better than TFs at filtering
noise in input signals. Additionally, we find that sRNAs allow cells to respond
rapidly to large changes in input signals. These features suggest a niche for
sRNAs in allowing cells to transition quickly yet reliably between distinct
states. This functional niche is consistent with the widespread appearance of
sRNAs in stress-response and quasi-developmental networks in prokaryotes.Comment: 26 pages, 8 figures; accepted for publication in Molecular Systems
Biolog
Projected inundations on the South African coast by tsunami waves
Historical and recent evidence recorded along the South African coast suggests that five tsunami events have occurred since 1960. These were mostly associated with trigger mechanisms associated with sources of remote submarine seismicity along far-field subduction zones and local atmospheric disturbances (meteotsunami). The passive margin of the South African West Coast, and the broad Agulhas Bank spanning the South- and Southeast coasts, have contributed to an increased susceptibility to inundation of waves in the adjacent low-lying coastal areas in these regions. In the published models and empirical studies for South Africa, the bathymetry and orientation of Port Elizabeth Bay is seen to amplify effects of a tsunami wave. Other regions including the Cape Town and St Helena Bay areas are also vulnerable to coastal inundation through the data generated in this study. The methodology presented here provides a simple means of determining the susceptibility of coastal areas to significant inundation by far-field tsunamis
A method for sensitivity analysis to assess the effects of measurement error in multiple exposure variables using external validation data
Measurement error in self-reported dietary intakes is known to bias the association between dietary intake and a health outcome of interest such as risk of a disease. The association can be distorted further by mismeasured confounders, leading to invalid results and conclusions. It is, however, difficult to adjust for the bias in the association when there is no internal validation data
Knowledge, attitude and practices of patients receiving maintenance haemodialysis in Bloemfontein, South Africa
Introduction: In sub-Saharan Africa, a paucity of data exists in respect of the knowledge, attitudes and practices (KAP) of patientson maintenance haemodialysis (MHD) regarding the dietary adaptations they should make.Methods: In a descriptive, cross-sectional study, conducted in 2017, questionnaires were administered during structured interviews with 75 participants in five MHD-units in Bloemfontein to assess socio-demographics and KAP regarding the ârenalâ diet.Results: The median age was 50.5 years; 70.7% of participants were male. Overall, 49.4% scored low (< 50%) on knowledge regarding restricted foods, food content of restricted minerals, and phosphate binders; 60.0% reported negative attitudes towards the diet, and 61.4% reported poor adherence practices. Participants with tertiary education (28.0%) had significantly higher knowledge scores than participants with only primary school education (6.7%) (95% CI 3.9%; 73.5%), or those who had only partially completed secondary school (17.3%) (95% CI 6.3%; 64.0%). Only 21.0% reported having received written, and 30.7% verbal, nutrition education in their home language, while 24.0% reported never receiving nutrition education in either their home or second language. Having received nutrition education in a home language and/or second language was associated with significantly higher knowledge scores (95% CI 3.7%; 49.5%). Most (77.3%) reported zero to one consultation with a dietitian per MHD year (NKF-K/DOQI recommends at least three/MHD year).Conclusion: This population on MHD presented with poor KAP regarding the ârenalâ diet, and inadequate involvement of dietitians in their treatment. Receiving nutritional education in a first or second language significantly increased knowledge of, and insight into, the required dietary adaptations
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