An Examination of Vegan\u27s Beliefs and Experiences Using Critical Theory and Autoethnography

This qualitative study uses critical theory, autoethnography, and in-depth interviews with vegans to explore and analyze the initial impetus to become vegan, the sustaining motivation to persist, the impact the diet and associated practices have had on the participant, and vegan\u27s assessment of omnivore\u27s eating practices. In-depth interviews with three vegans in each of the following professions were conducted: medical doctor, registered dietitian, farmer, professional animal activist, and philosophy professor. Participants were asked to reflect on narratives of experience (Caelli, 2001), the story created from their interview. Interviews were analyzed using critical theory to critique the Western approach to diet and food production and hegemonic practices related to food choice

Coupling of finite-volume-method and incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics method for multiphase flow

It is an intuitive way to use the advantages of two different simulation methods, such as the Finite-Volume (FV) and Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH), to reduce the computational effort. Finite-Volume, like other grid-based methods, is advan- tageous for huge systems without fluid-fluid interfaces, whereas SPH is advantageous in the vicinity of fluid interfaces. We will present our first results for a combined simula- tion, including a moving SPH domain, in a simple Poiseuille flow and a more complex multiphase capillary rise scenario

The Journal of Educational Issues of Language Minority Students, v14 p

Note: Every attempt has been made to maintain the integrity of the printed text. In some cases, figures and tables have been reconstructed within the constraints of the electronic environment. Research in second language acquisition has shown the importance of social contact and language interaction between second language learners and native speakers. Some children learning a second language seek interaction with native speakers more than others do. In Wong-Fillmore's study of first grade Spanish speakers learning English, she identified a child named Nora who was far superior as a language learner to other children in the class (1976). What distinguished Nora from her peers was that she seized every possible opportunity to use her English skills in social contacts with other children. Not all second language learners interact with their native-speaking counterparts as freely as Nora did. Some find themselves in classrooms not organized to stimulate interaction Yet social interaction plays an important part in the acquisition of language. Numerous studies have shown that interaction with the mother involving special language such as simplification and high pitch promotes language acquisition When second language learners use the presence of native speakers in the classroom as an opportunity for interaction, then this interaction enhances acquisition of the new language. Nora of Wong-Fillmore's study (1976) is an example of the way this works: Nora made many more initiations to native English-speakers than her peers did. By the end of the school year, Nora had learned more English than some of her secondlanguage-learning peers would learn in double that time or more if they had continued at their established rate. Increased interaction with native speakers in this setting was, then, connected to accelerated acquisition of the language. While the role of the child learning a second language has been explore

ISMRM Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging (OSIPI): ASL pipeline inventory

Purpose: To create an inventory of image processing pipelines of arterial spin labeling (ASL) and list their main features, and to evaluate the capability, flexibility, and ease of use of publicly available pipelines to guide novice ASL users in selecting their optimal pipeline. Methods: Developers self-assessed their pipelines using a questionnaire developed by the Task Force 1.1 of the ISMRM Open Science Initiative for Perfusion Imaging. Additionally, each publicly available pipeline was evaluated by two independent testers with basic ASL experience using a scoring system created for this purpose. Results: The developers of 21 pipelines filled the questionnaire. Most pipelines are free for noncommercial use (n = 18) and work with the standard NIfTI (Neuroimaging Informatics Technology Initiative) data format (n = 15). All pipelines can process standard 3D single postlabeling delay pseudo-continuous ASL images and primarily differ in their support of advanced sequences and features. The publicly available pipelines (n = 9) were included in the independent testing, all of them being free for noncommercial use. The pipelines, in general, provided a trade-off between ease of use and flexibility for configuring advanced processing options. Conclusion: Although most ASL pipelines can process the common ASL data types, only some (namely, ASLPrep, ASLtbx, BASIL/Quantiphyse, ExploreASL, and MRICloud) are well-documented, publicly available, support multiple ASL types, have a user-friendly interface, and can provide a useful starting point for ASL processing. The choice of an optimal pipeline should be driven by specific data to be processed and user experience, and can be guided by the information provided in this ASL inventory

Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors in adolescents and young adults

Evidence associating serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors is inconsistent and studies have largely been conducted in adult populations. We examined the prospective associations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors from adolescence to young adulthood in the West Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations, BMI, homoeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), TAG, HDL-cholesterol and systolic blood pressure (SBP) were measured at the 17-year (n 1015) and 20-year (n 1117) follow-ups. Hierarchical linear mixed models with maximum likelihood estimation were used to investigate associations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and cardiometabolic risk factors, accounting for potential confounders. In males and females, respectively, mean serum 25(OH)D concentrations were 73·6 (sd 28·2) and 75·4 (sd 25·9) nmol/l at 17 years and 70·0 (sd 24·2) and 74·3 (sd 26·2) nmol/l at 20 years. Deseasonalised serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations were inversely associated with BMI (coefficient -0·01; 95 % CI -0·03, -0·003; P=0·014). No change over time was detected in the association for males; for females, the inverse association was stronger at 20 years compared with 17 years. Serum 25(OH)D concentrations were inversely associated with log-HOMA-IR (coefficient -0·002; 95 % CI -0·003, -0·001; P<0·001) and positively associated with log-TAG in females (coefficient 0·002; 95 % CI 0·0008, 0·004; P=0·003). These associations did not vary over time. There were no significant associations between serum 25(OH)D concentrations and HDL-cholesterol or SBP. Clinical trials in those with insufficient vitamin D status may be warranted to determine any beneficial effect of vitamin D supplementation on insulin resistance, while monitoring for any deleterious effect on TAG

Waist circumference and risk of elevated blood pressure in children: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Increasing childhood obesity has become a major health threat. This cross-sectional study reports associations between schoolchildren's waist circumference (WC) and risk of elevated blood pressure.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We measured height, weight, neck and waist circumference, and blood pressure in regular health examinations among children in grade 1 (ages 6-7 years) at six elementary schools in Taipei County, Taiwan. Elevated blood pressure was defined in children found to have mean systolic or diastolic blood pressure greater than or equal to the gender-, age-, and height-percentile-specific 95th-percentile blood pressure value.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All 2,334 schoolchildren were examined (response rate was 100% in the six schools). The mean of systolic and diastolic blood pressure increased as WC quartiles increased (p < 0.0001). The prevalence of elevated blood pressure for boys and girls within the fourth quartile of waist circumference was 38.9% and 26.8%, respectively. In the multivariate logistic regression analyses, the adjusted odds ratios of elevated blood pressure were 1.78 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.13-2.80), 2.45 (95% CI = 1.56-3.85), and 6.03 (95% CI = 3.59-10.1) for children in the second, third, and fourth waist circumference quartiles compared with the first quartile. The odds ratios for per-unit increase and per increase of standard deviation associated with elevated blood pressure were 1.14 (95% CI = 1.10-1.18) and 2.22 (95% CI = 1.76-2.78), respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Elevated blood pressure in children was associated with waist circumference. Not only is waist circumference easier to measure than blood pressure, but it also provides important information on metabolic risk. Further research is needed on effective interventions to identify and monitor children with increased waist circumference to reduce metabolic and blood pressure risks.</p

The race for Ebola drugs: pharmaceuticals, security and global health governance

The international Ebola response mirrors two broader trends in global health governance: (1) the framing of infectious disease outbreaks as a security threat; and (2) a tendency to respond by providing medicines and vaccines. This article identifies three mechanisms that interlink these trends. First, securitisation encourages technological policy responses. Second, it creates an exceptional political space in which pharmaceutical development can be freed from constraints. Third, it creates an institutional architecture that facilitates pharmaceutical policy responses. The ways in which the securitisation of health reinforces pharmaceutical policy strategies must, the article concludes, be included in ongoing efforts to evaluate them normatively and politically

Legal Paradigm Shifts and Their Impacts on the Socio-Spatial Exclusion of Asylum Seekers in Denmark

This chapter discusses the genesis of Denmark’s asylum accommodation system and recent legal and socio-spatial changes as a reaction to the increase of arrivals. By elucidating the structures and objectives of asylum accommodation, I present that the state’s further tightening of restrictive reception and accommodation policies significantly impacts the socio-spatial configurations of accommodations, refugees’ access to housing and their well-being. I discuss the links between the tensioning of laws, the reduction of living conditions and the (re-)constitution of large accommodations as means of socio-spatial exclusion. Applying the case of Denmark’s Hovedstaden Region (Capital Region), I finally argue that asylum accommodation is a central instrument of Denmark’s approaches to strategically isolate forced migrants and to deter them from migrating to Denmark

Multi-organ comparison of flow-based arterial spin labeling techniques: spatially non-selective labeling for cerebral and renal perfusion imaging

Purpose Flow-based arterial spin labeling (ASL) techniques provide a transit-time insensitive alternative to the more conventional spatially selective ASL techniques. However, it is not clear which flow-based ASL technique performs best and also, how these techniques perform outside the brain (taking into account eg, flow-dynamics, field-inhomogeneity, and organ motion). In the current study we aimed to compare 4 flow-based ASL techniques (ie, velocity selective ASL, acceleration selective ASL, multiple velocity selective saturation ASL, and velocity selective inversion prepared ASL [VSI-ASL]) to the current spatially selective reference techniques in brain (ie, pseudo-continuous ASL [pCASL]) and kidney (ie, pCASL and flow alternating inversion recovery [FAIR]).Methods Brain (n = 5) and kidney (n = 6) scans were performed in healthy subjects at 3T. Perfusion-weighted signal (PWS) maps were generated and ASL techniques were compared based on temporal SNR (tSNR), sensitivity to perfusion changes using a visual stimulus (brain) and robustness to respiratory motion by comparing scans acquired in paced-breathing and free-breathing (kidney).Results In brain, all flow-based ASL techniques showed similar tSNR as pCASL, but only VSI-ASL showed similar sensitivity to perfusion changes. In kidney, all flow-based ASL techniques had comparable tSNR, although all lower than FAIR. In addition, VSI-ASL showed a sensitivity to B-1-inhomogeneity. All ASL techniques were relatively robust to respiratory motion.Conclusion In both brain and kidney, flow-based ASL techniques provide a planning-free and transit-time insensitive alternative to spatially selective ASL techniques. VSI-ASL shows the most potential overall, showing similar performance as the golden standard pCASL in brain. However, in kidney, a reduction of B-1-sensitivity of VSI-ASL is necessary to match the performance of FAIR.Neuro Imaging Researc