Book Review: Jules Monchanin (1895-1957) as Seen from East and West, volumes 1 and 2

A review of Jules Monchanin (189501957) as Seen from East and West, volumes 1 and 2 edited by Thomas matus and Sister Sarananda

The Controversy and its Theological Implications

The controversy concerning evangelization and conversions in contemporary India may be productively interpreted as a conflict between stories, between what John Haught refers to as power-bestowing narratives, or between what Gerald Larson calls comprehensive interpretive frameworks. These Hindu stories and Christian stories are discordant, not only with each other, but with other stories within their own traditions, thus fostering the mutual mistrust that thoroughly colors the debate. My task is to sketch four such narrative frameworks, each centered upon an image of India and corresponding to one of four communities involved in the controversy: conservative Hindu nationalists, more secularist Hindus, Evangelical Christian missionaries, and Roman Catholic theologians in India

A Mound Is In The Graveyard

https://digitalcommons.library.umaine.edu/mmb-vp/5113/thumbnail.jp

Development of a robust heat treating process for Rockwell B-scale hardness test blocks

Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1997, and Thesis (M.S.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Sloan School of Management, 1997.Includes bibliographical references (p. ).by Judson B. Broome.M.S

Lack of involvement of known DNA methyltransferases in familial hydatidiform mole implies the involvement of other factors in establishment of imprinting in the human female germline

BACKGROUND: Differential methylation of the two alleles is a hallmark of imprinted genes. Correspondingly, loss of DNA methyltransferase function results in aberrant imprinting and abnormal post-fertilization development. In the mouse, mutations of the oocyte-specific isoform of the DNA methyltransferase Dnmt1 (Dnmt1o) and of the methyltransferase-like Dnmt3L gene result in specific failures of imprint establishment or maintenance, at multiple loci. We have previously shown in humans that an analogous inherited failure to establish imprinting at multiple loci in the female germline underlies a rare phenotype of recurrent hydatidiform mole. RESULTS: We have identified a human homologue of the murine Dnmt1o and assessed its pattern of expression. Human DNMT1o mRNA is detectable in mature oocytes and early fertilized embryos but not in any somatic tissues analysed. The somatic isoform of DNMT1 mRNA, in contrast, is not detectable in human oocytes. In the previously-described family with multi-locus imprinting failure, mutation of DNMT1o and of the other known members of this gene family has been excluded. CONCLUSIONS: Mutation of the known DNMT genes does not underlie familial hydatidiform mole, at least in the family under study. This suggests that trans-acting factors other than the known methyltransferases are required for imprint establishment in humans, a concept that has indirect support from recent biochemical studies of DNMT3L

Imaging of high-Z material for nuclear contraband detection with a minimal prototype of a Muon Tomography station based on GEM detectors

Muon Tomography based on the measurement of multiple scattering of atmospheric cosmic ray muons in matter is a promising technique for detecting heavily shielded high-Z radioactive materials (U, Pu) in cargo or vehicles. The technique uses the deflection of cosmic ray muons in matter to perform tomographic imaging of high-Z material inside a probed volume. A Muon Tomography Station (MTS) requires position-sensitive detectors with high spatial resolution for optimal tracking of incoming and outgoing cosmic ray muons. Micro Pattern Gaseous Detector (MPGD) technologies such as Gas Electron Multiplier (GEM) detectors are excellent candidates for this application. We have built and operated a minimal MTS prototype based on 30cm \times 30cm GEM detectors for probing targets with various Z values inside the MTS volume. We report the first successful detection and imaging of medium-Z and high-Z targets of small volumes (~0.03 liters) using GEM-based Muon Tomography

Dynamic modeling of nitrogen losses in river networks unravels the coupled effects of hydrological and biogeochemical processes

The importance of lotic systems as sinks for nitrogen inputs is well recognized. A fraction of nitrogen in streamflow is removed to the atmosphere via denitrification with the remainder exported in streamflow as nitrogen loads. At the watershed scale, there is a keen interest in understanding the factors that control the fate of nitrogen throughout the stream channel network, with particular attention to the processes that deliver large nitrogen loads to sensitive coastal ecosystems. We use a dynamic stream transport model to assess biogeochemical (nitrate loadings, concentration, temperature) and hydrological (discharge, depth, velocity) effects on reach-scale denitrification and nitrate removal in the river networks of two watersheds having widely differing levels of nitrate enrichment but nearly identical discharges. Stream denitrification is estimated by regression as a nonlinear function of nitrate concentration, streamflow, and temperature, using more than 300 published measurements from a variety of US streams. These relations are used in the stream transport model to characterize nitrate dynamics related to denitrification at a monthly time scale in the stream reaches of the two watersheds. Results indicate that the nitrate removal efficiency of streams, as measured by the percentage of the stream nitrate flux removed via denitrification per unit length of channel, is appreciably reduced during months with high discharge and nitrate flux and increases during months of low-discharge and flux. Biogeochemical factors, including land use, nitrate inputs, and stream concentrations, are a major control on reach-scale denitrification, evidenced by the disproportionately lower nitrate removal efficiency in streams of the highly nitrate-enriched watershed as compared with that in similarly sized streams in the less nitrate-enriched watershed. Sensitivity analyses reveal that these important biogeochemical factors and physical hydrological factors contribute nearly equally to seasonal and stream-size related variations in the percentage of the stream nitrate flux removed in each watershed

UK guidelines for the management of soft tissue sarcomas

Soft tissue sarcomas (STS) are rare tumours arising in mesenchymal tissues, and can occur almost anywhere in the body. Their rarity, and the heterogeneity of subtype and location means that developing evidence-based guidelines is complicated by the limitations of the data available. However, this makes it more important that STS are managed by teams, expert in such cases, to ensure consistent and optimal treatment, as well as recruitment to clinical trials, and the ongoing accumulation of further data and knowledge. The development of appropriate guidance, by an experienced panel referring to the evidence available, is therefore a useful foundation on which to build progress in the field. These guidelines are an update of the previous version published in 2010 (Grimer et al. in Sarcoma 2010:506182, 2010). The original guidelines were drawn up following a consensus meeting of UK sarcoma specialists convened under the auspices of the British Sarcoma Group (BSG) and were intended to provide a framework for the multidisciplinary care of patients with soft tissue sarcomas. This current version has been updated and amended with reference to other European and US guidance. There are specific recommendations for the management of selected subtypes of disease including retroperitoneal and uterine sarcomas, as well as aggressive fibromatosis (desmoid tumours) and other borderline tumours commonly managed by sarcoma services. An important aim in sarcoma management is early diagnosis and prompt referral. In the UK, any patient with a suspected soft tissue sarcoma should be referred to one of the specialist regional soft tissues sarcoma services, to be managed by a specialist sarcoma multidisciplinary team. Once the diagnosis has been confirmed using appropriate imaging, plus a biopsy, the main modality of management is usually surgical excision performed by a specialist surgeon. In tumours at higher risk of recurrence or metastasis pre- or post-operative radiotherapy should be considered. Systemic anti-cancer therapy (SACT) may be utilized in some cases where the histological subtype is considered more sensitive to systemic treatment. Regular follow-up is recommended to assess local control, development of metastatic disease, and any late-effects of treatment. For local recurrence, and more rarely in selected cases of metastatic disease, surgical resection would be considered. Treatment for metastases may include radiotherapy, or systemic therapy guided by the sarcoma subtype. In some cases, symptom control and palliative care support alone will be appropriate