Hey! Ho! Let’s Go [Back to Islam]! : Exploring the Interplay of Punk and Piety in Java, Indonesia

Dans les années 1990, la musique punk fit son entrée dans la société indonésienne. Coïncidant avec une vaste lutte politique contre le régime du Nouvel Ordre du président Suharto, le punk fut rapidement adopté comme plate-forme de ralliement pour exprimer une insatisfaction collective envers ce gouvernement répressif. En 2018, le punk continue de séduire par son attitude rebelle, son style non conformiste et son esprit indépendant. Pourtant, à Java, l’île centrale de l’Indonésie, le punk détient récemment d’une nouvelle fonction: le prosélytisme. Au sein de ce nouveau mouvement, on trouve des groupes religieux conservateurs qui adoptent la philosophie et les emblèmes du punk à des fins de prosélytisme, d'anciens punks qui deviennent des autorités religieuses, et un marché prospérant où des symboles punk et islamiques se voient transformés en marchandise. L'interaction curieuse entre les domaines du punk et de l'islam soulève de nombreuses questions sur ce que signifie d’être punk et d’être musulman à la suite du renouveau islamique. En m'appuyant sur les résultats d'un séjour ethnographique de trois mois à Java, je m’interroge sur la façon dont les punks javanais articulent l'individualisme du punk avec la normativité de l'islam. Ce phénomène nous invite à réexaminer les limites que nous utilisons pour circonscrire les mondes rhétoriques du punk et de l’islam. De plus, il suscite une réflexion sur les paramètres et les paradoxes du prosélytisme punk. C’est un cas parmi plusieurs qui témoigne de l’agencement dynamique entre la religion, l'économie de marché et la culture populaire au 21e siècle.During the 1990s, punk music made its entry into Indonesian society. Coinciding with a nationwide political struggle against President Suharto’s New Order regime, punk was quickly adopted as a rallying point for expressing discontent towards the current repressive government. In 2018, two decades after the fall of Suharto, punk continues to entice with its unapologetic attitude, nonconformist style, and independent ethos. Yet in Java, Indonesia’s central island, punk has gained a new and rather unexpected function: proselytism. The Muslim Punk trend reveals that conservative religious groups are adopting punk ethos and imagery for proselytism, that a growing number of punks are becoming religious authorities, and that a thriving market is rendering both punk and Islamic symbols into commodities. The curious interplay between the realms of punk and Islam raises numerous questions about what it means to be punk and be Muslim, not only in the age of consumer culture and globalization, but also in the wake of the Islamic Revival. Drawing on the results of a three-month ethnographic sojourn in Java, I question how Javanese punks articulate the individualism of punk with the normativity of Islam. In sum, the Muslim Punk phenomenon invites us to reassess the discursive boundaries we commonly use to circumscribe the rhetorical worlds of ‘punk’ and ‘Islam’, and opens up a new debate about the parameters and paradoxes of punk proselytism. My thesis analyses and confirms the dynamic interrelation between religion, market economy, and popular culture in the 21st century

ABCD² risk score does not predict the presence of cerebral microemboli in patients with hyper-acute symptomatic critical carotid artery stenosis

ABCD² risk score and cerebral microemboli detected by transcranial Doppler (TCD) have been separately shown to the predict risk of recurrent acute stroke. We studied whether ABCD² risk score predicts cerebral microemboli in patients with hyper-acute symptomatic carotid artery stenosis. We studied 206 patients presenting within 2 weeks of transient ischaemic attack or minor stroke and found to have critical carotid artery stenosis (≥50%). 86 patients (age 70±1 (SEM: years), 58 men, 83 Caucasian) had evidence of microemboli; 72 (84%) of these underwent carotid endarterectomy (CEA). 120 patients (age 72±1 years, 91 men, 113 Caucasian) did not have microemboli detected; 102 (85%) of these underwent CEA. Data were analysed using X2 and Mann-Whitney U tests and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. 140/206 (68%: 95% CI 61.63 to 74.37) patients with hyper-acute symptomatic critical carotid stenosis had an ABCD2 risk score ≥4. There was no significant difference in the NICE red flag criterion for early assessment (ABCD² risk score ≥4) for patients with cerebral microemboli versus those without microemboli (59/86 vs 81/120 patients: OR 1.05 ABCD² risk score ≥4 (95% CI 0.58 to 1.90, p=0.867)). The ABCD² risk score was <4 in 27 of 86 (31%: 95% CI 21 to 41) embolising patients and in 39 of 120 (31%: 95% CI 23 to 39) without cerebral microemboli. After adjusting for pre-neurological event antiplatelet treatment (APT), area under the curve (AUC) of ROC for ABCD2 risk score showed no prediction of cerebral microemboli (no pre-event APT, n=57: AUC 0.45 (95% CI 0.29 to 0.60, p=0.531); pre-event APT, n=147: AUC 0.51 (95% CI 0.42 to 0.60, p=0.804)). The ABCD² score did not predict the presence of cerebral microemboli or carotid disease in over one-quarter of patients with symptomatic critical carotid artery stenosis. On the basis of NICE guidelines (refer early if ABCD² ≥4), assessment of high stroke risk based on ABCD² scoring may lead to inappropriate delay in urgent treatment in many patients

National Health Service healthcare staff experience and practices regarding complementary and alternative medicine: an online survey.

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is increasing. The most common reported reason for CAM use is dissatisfaction with conventional healthcare. Several studies have reported factors influencing CAM usage and beliefs in the general public but the beliefs of healthcare staff are less well known. This paper reports the results of an online survey of 537 healthcare staff. Our study demonstrated an increased rate of patient referral for CAM from both personal CAM users and those trained in CAM. There was a high level of optimism amongst respondents as to the role CAM may play in patient care with mental health, depression and palliative care cited as the areas with highest expected benefit. Doctors were generally less optimistic about the likelihood of benefit compared to other healthcare staff. Implications for clinical practice, future research and staff education are discussed

Behaviour of non-donor specific antibodies during rapid re-synthesis of donor specific HLA antibodies after antibody incompatible renal transplantation

Background: HLA directed antibodies play an important role in acute and chronic allograft rejection. During viral infection of a patient with HLA antibodies, the HLA antibody levels may rise even though there is no new immunization with antigen. However it is not known whether the converse occurs, and whether changes on non-donor specific antibodies are associated with any outcomes following HLA antibody incompatible renal transplantation. Methods: 55 patients, 31 women and 24 men, who underwent HLAi renal transplant in our center from September 2005 to September 2010 were included in the studies. We analysed the data using two different approaches, based on; i) DSA levels and ii) rejection episode post transplant. HLA antibody levels were measured during the early post transplant period and corresponding CMV, VZV and Anti-HBs IgG antibody levels and blood group IgG, IgM and IgA antibodies were quantified. Results: Despite a significant DSA antibody rise no significant non-donor specific HLA antibody, viral or blood group antibody rise was found. In rejection episode analyses, multiple logistic regression modelling showed that change in the DSA was significantly associated with rejection (p = 0.002), even when adjusted for other antibody levels. No other antibody levels were predictive of rejection. Increase in DSA from pre treatment to a post transplant peak of 1000 was equivalent to an increased chance of rejection with an odds ratio of 1.47 (1.08, 2.00). Conclusion: In spite of increases or decreases in the DSA levels, there were no changes in the viral or the blood group antibodies in these patients. Thus the DSA rise is specific in contrast to the viral, blood group or third party antibodies post transplantation. Increases in the DSA post transplant in comparison to pre-treatment are strongly associated with occurrence of rejection

Multimodal analysis of the effects of dexamethasone on high-altitude cerebral oedema : protocol for a pilot study

Background Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a cluster of symptoms that commonly occur in those ascending to high altitudes. Symptoms can include headaches, nausea, insomnia and fatigue. Exposure to high altitude can also lead to high-altitude cerebral oedema (HACE), which is a potential cause of death whilst mountaineering. Generally, AMS precedes the development of HACE. Historical studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of regular dexamethasone administration in reducing the symptoms of AMS. However, the mechanism by which dexamethasone works to reduce symptoms AMS remains poorly understood. Further studies, simulating altitude using hypoxic tents, have characterised the effect of prolonged exposure to normobaric hypoxia on cerebral oedema and blood flow using MRI. This randomised trial assesses the effect of dexamethasone on hypoxia-induced cerebral oedema in healthy adult volunteers. Methods/design D4H is a double-blind placebo-controlled randomised trial assessing the effect of dexamethasone on hypoxia-induced cerebral oedema. In total, 20 volunteers were randomised in pairs to receive either 8.25 mg dexamethasone or normal saline placebo intravenously after 8 h of hypoxia with an FiO2 of 12%. Serial MRI images of the brain and spinal cord were obtained at hours 0, 7, 11, 22 and 26 of the study along with serum and urinary markers to correlate with the severity of cerebral oedema and the effect of the intervention. Discussion MRI has been used to identify changes in cerebral vasculature in the development of AMS and HACE. Dexamethasone is effective at reducing the symptoms of AMS; however, the mechanism of this effect is unknown. If this study demonstrates a clear objective benefit of dexamethasone in this setting, future studies may be able to demonstrate that dexamethasone is an effective therapy for oedema associated with brain and spinal cord ischaemia beyond AMS

Group 3: Ethnic Groups and the Labour Market

This discussion group focussed on five major questions. (1) What are the appropriate ethnic groupings to be considered? (2) What type(s) of disadvantage do these groups experience in employment, for example in income and occupational mobility? (3) Does the disadvantage result from "cultural rejection" by the groups or from discrimination? (4) What role is played by lack of education, training and experience in generating disadvantage? (5) What can be done in the way of positive action programmes? Questions of highest priority were identified, as well as obstacles and other observations concerning this research

Foreign Bodies in the Chest: How Come They Are Seen in Adults?

The radiologic and clinical findings of foreign bodies in the chest of children are well recognized. Foreign bodies in adults are infrequent, however, and the radiologic findings of these unusual circumstances have rarely been described. We classified various thoracic foreign bodies into three types according to their cause: Type I, Aspiration, Type II, Trauma or Accident; Type III, Iatrogenic. This pictorial essay will illustrate the radiologic findings and consequences of thoracic foreign bodies in adults, which have rarely been described in the radiologic literature. The clinical significance of thoracic foreign bodies will be also be discussed