A Voice of Peace: Mother Teresa

In lieu of an abstract, below is the first paragraph of the paper. The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace (Collopy, 31). Service and love for the destitute were Mother Teresa\u27s methods to bring the world one step closer to peace. The extraordinary nun lived a life of self-sacrifice within the Catholic Church. She sacrificed her health, comfort, family and all worldly goods to dedicate her every breath to improving the lives of the poor in India, Africa, Eastern Europe and the rest of the world. Her spirituality and duty to God strengthened her relentless actions against hate and poverty. This small woman aided all humans in need regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs. She created Houses for the Dying for the homeless and built hundreds of orphanages for lepers and those that society did not dare to notice (Spink, 103). This peacemaker\u27s well-being was sacrificed many times to meet the needs of suffering strangers. Mother Teresa\u27s goal of bringing happiness to the destitute through self sacrifice promotes the elements of selflessness and love that are so important to the establishment of peace. She became a voice of peace through her loving care for ignored and suffering individuals. Mother Teresa was chosen as a voice of peace because her work concentrated on eradicating poverty, the most deadly act of violence

A Voice of Peace: Mother Teresa

In lieu of an abstract, below is the essay\u27s first paragraph. “The fruit of silence is prayer; the fruit of prayer is faith; the fruit of faith is love; the fruit of love is service; the fruit of service is peace” (Collopy, 31). Service and love for the destitute were Mother Teresa’s methods to bring the world one step closer to peace. The extraordinary nun lived a life of self-sacrifice within the Catholic Church. She sacrificed her health, comfort, family and all worldly goods to dedicate her every breath to improving the lives of the poor in India, Africa, Eastern Europe and the globe. Her spirituality and duty to God strengthened her relentless actions against hate and poverty. This small woman aided all humans in need regardless of their backgrounds and beliefs. She created Houses for the Dying for the homeless and built hundreds of orphanages for lepers and those society did not dare to notice (Spink, 103). This peacemaker’s well-being was sacrificed many times to meet the needs of suffering strangers. Mother Teresa’s goal of bringing happiness to the destitute through self sacrifice promotes the elements of selflessness and love that are so important to the establishment of peace. She became a voice for peace through her loving care for ignored and suffering individuals. I choose Mother Teresa as a voice of peace because her work concentrated on eradicating poverty, the most deadly act of violence

Human Leukocyte antigen and classical Hodgkin lymphoma:genetic predisposition and susceptibility mechanisms

Het Hodgkin lymfoom (HL) is een kanker met een incidentie en associatie met het Epstein Barr virus die sterk verschilt in verschillende leeftijdsgroepen, verschillende etnische bevolkingsgroepen en ook in verschillende sociaaleconomische groepen. HL heeft daarnaast ook een karakteristiek fenotype met een minderheid van tumorcellen in een achtergrond van reactieve cellen. Op basis van eerder onderzoek is het duidelijk dat er een genetische component is die het risico op het krijgen van HL beïnvloedt. Met name de HLA regio en specifieke klassieke HLA allelen zijn geassocieerd met HL. In dit proefschrift hebben we alle tot nu toe bekende genetische associatie in kaart gebracht en op basis van deze resultaten een mogelijk mechanisme gepostuleerd voor de susceptibiliteit. Vervolgens hebben we de associatie van individuele HLA allelen met het risico op HL bepaald. Naast de totale groep hebben we ook gekeken naar associaties van bepaalde HLA allelen in HL subgroepen gebaseerd op EBV en leeftijd. We vonden meerdere associaties voor de totale groep en specifieke subgroepen. HLA klasse I allelen waren met name geassocieerd met EBV-positief HL terwijl HLA klasse II allelen met name geassocieerd was met EBV-negatief HL. In een studie met Braziliaanse HL patiënten, vonden we een vergelijkbare associatie met HLA klasse I allelen en EBV-positief HL. Analyse op basis van leeftijdsgroepen liet zien dat het HLA-DQB1*06-DRB1*15 haplotype geassocieerd is met een verhoogd risico op HL bij individuen ≤45 jaar, terwijl het HLA-B*08-DRB1*03 haplotype geassocieerd was met een verhoogd risico bij individuen >45 jaar. De bevindingen in dit proefschrift bevestigen de rol van specifieke HLA allelen en het risico op Hodgkin lymfoom. Deze bevindingen sluiten goed aan bij de veronderstelde belang van de communicatie tussen de tumor B cellen en de T cellen

The Education of a Farmer

As the history of human civilization has unfolded, it has become clear that providing food security for fellow humans is one of the great moral issues of current times. One way to make food security sustainable is by having adequately trained farmers to take over from the retiring workforce of farmers in order to provide food and resources to people. National studies have found that fewer youth are educated as farmers by growing up on a farm. This has resulted in there being more responsibility put upon the private and public sectors to educate/train farmers, including colleges and universities. This report evaluated how the University of Massachusetts – Amherst trains/educates farmers and evaluates how well the university provides future farmers with a well-rounded agricultural education. The main research question that this report seeks to answer is what policy interventions, if any, could strengthen the education and training that students receive. Four alternatives were presented: 1) Status Quo – no changes to the current system that is focused on classroom learning with some hands-on learning 2) Internal improvements by making the curriculum more well-rounded in regards to the three circle agricultural education model 3) Private Partnerships for educational opportunities and 4) Public Partnerships for educational opportunities. In order to assess these four alternatives 15 students and faculty members related to agriculture at UMass – Amherst were interviewed and external organizations were researched in order to recommend the best alternative. What this report found was that the University of Massachusetts – Amherst’s current agricultural curriculum could use improvement due to the agricultural curriculum having too much of a focus on classroom learning and not utilizing all of its available resources. The Stockbridge School of Agriculture UMass should work on internally improving their program in order to make their agricultural education curriculum more well-rounded to include more class offerings, better utilization of current resources and more experiential learning opportunities. While the most costly of the four alternatives, this alternative has good political feasibility as it is an alternative that the university is currently looking at. Partnerships could also be used within this context. However, this report found that outsourcing education to third party entities would be detrimental to the university as a stand-alone option

Pathological changes in mesostriatal neurons in a PKC-gamma mutant rat

The AS/AGU rat originated as a recessive mutation (agu) in a closed colony of Albino Swiss (AS) rats. The mutation is in the gene coding for the gamma isoform of protein kinase C. It is characterized by movement impairments and progressive dysfunction of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic (DA) and raphe striatal serotonergic (5-HT) systems. The movement impairments including rigidity of the hind limbs, a staggering gait, a tendency to fall over every few steps, a slight whole body tremor and difficulty in initiating movements. The dysfunction in both systems is characterised by a failure to release DA or 5-HT within the striatum and cell loss within the substantia nigra pars compacta (dopaminergic cells) and the dorsal raphe nuclei (5-HT+ve cells). In this study, three experiments were carried out to examine the possible pathological responses of midbrain cell groups to the agu mutation in the gene coding for protein kinase C-gamma (PKC-γ). Experiment 1 was carried out to examine levels of two groups of molecules in the midbrain cell groups using quantitative immunofluorescence microscopy of cell bodies or their surrounding neuropil (a) those molecules giving information about the capacity of midbrain aminergic cell bodies to synthesis transmitters; tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the dopaminergic neurons and serotonin (5-HT) in the serotonergic neurons (b) those which have been found to occur in human neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson’s disease: ubiquitin, parkin and α-synuclein (Lewy body proteins). Immunofluorescence levels of tyrosine hydroxylase (in dopaminergic cells of the SNC) and serotonin (in 5HT+ve cells of the dorsal raphe nuclei) were both significantly increased in AS/AGU (mutant) compared to the AS (control) rats aged 6 months and older. TH and 5-HT immunofluorescence levels were both significantly decreased in the striatum in the AS/AGU (mutant) compared to the AS (control) rat aged 12 months. Ubiquitin immunofluorescence show a gradual increase with age in AS and AS/AGU rats and the increase was much greater in the mutant in every region except the oculomotor and pontine nuclei. Parkin immunofluorescence show increases in the mutant within the SNC and the dorsal raphe nucleus and this increase was significant at older ages. Alpha-synuclein does not occur in the cell bodies of the substantia nigra or VTA but outside in the neuropil. Alpha-synuclein immunofluorescence levels progressively increased with age in both strains in the SN and VTA and were higher in the mutant. The levels of those molecules (ubiquitin, parkin and alpha-synuclein) do not differ in the striatum of mutants compared to controls. Experiment 2 examined SNC cell bodies to look for possible strain differences in cell size or ultrastructure or any sign of cell death using light and transmission electron microscopy. The diameter (maximum and minimum) of the SNC cells and nuclei were measured in toluidine blue paraffin wax and immunoperoxidase DAB staining for TH sections. Cell diameter was reduced in the AS/AGU mutant compared to the AS control. No obvious ultrastructural differences were seen in nigrostriatal neurons of both strains. The volume fractions of mitochondria and rough endoplasmic reticulum were significantly higher in the mutant. No Lewy bodies were present. Experiment 3 examined TH+ve nigrostriatal dopaminergic terminals in the dorsal caudate-putamen to determine whether there are (a) differences in the percentages and numbers of TH+ve terminals and (b) differences in synaptic vesicles numbers. In 12-month AS/AGU mutant, there are reduction in TH+ve terminals (40%) together with a reduction in vesicle numbers (40%) in such terminals where in 3-month AS/AGU mutant, the reduction in TH+ve terminals was more (50%) and a reduction in vesicles numbers by three quarters. TH-ve terminals are also reduced in numbers in 12 months aged AS/AGU mutant rats. In 12-month AS/AGU rats, there were significantly reduced numbers of synaptic terminals in the striatum compared to AS controls. This applied to both dopaminergic terminals (which make up 15% of the total) and to non-dopaminergic terminals. In 3-month AS/AGU rats, there is a reduction in terminal numbers, but this is restricted to the dopaminergic terminals only: non-dopaminergic ones are unaffected

Breastfeeding and timing of pubertal onset in girls: a multiethnic population-based prospective cohort study.

BackgroundEarly puberty is associated with higher risk of adverse health and behavioral outcomes throughout adolescence and adulthood. US girls are experiencing earlier puberty with substantial racial/ethnic differences. We examined the association between breastfeeding and pubertal timing to identify modifiable risk factors of early puberty and potential sources of racial/ethnic differences in the timing of pubertal development.MethodsA prospective cohort study of 3331 racially/ethnically diverse girls born at Kaiser Permanente Northern California (KPNC) between 2004 and 06. All data were obtained from KPNC electronic clinical and administrative datasets. Mother-reported duration of breastfeeding was obtained from questionnaires administered at each 'well-baby' check-up exam throughout the baby's first year and categorized as 'Not breastfed', 'Breastfed < 6 months', and 'Breastfed ≥ 6 months'. Pubertal development data used Tanner stages assessed by pediatricians during routine pediatric checkups starting at age 6. Pubertal onset was defined as transition from Tanner Stage 1 to Tanner Stage 2+ for breast (thelarche) and pubic hair (pubarche). Weibull regression models accommodating for left, right, and interval censoring were used in all analyses. Models were adjusted for maternal age, education, race/ethnicity, parity and prepubertal body mass index (BMI). We also examined race/ethnicity as a potential effect modifier of these associations.ResultsNot breastfeeding was associated with earlier onset of breast and pubic hair development compared to breastfeeding ≥6 months (adjusted hazard ratio [HR]: 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.07-1.46; HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 1.05-1.46, respectively). Breastfeeding for < 6 months was also associated with the risk of earlier pubic hair development (HR: 1.14; 95% CI: 1.00-1.30, compared to breastfeeding ≥6 months). Inclusion of girls' prepubertal BMI slightly attenuated the association between breastfeeding and timing of breast onset but remained significant. The association between not breastfeeding and early breast development may be stronger among African American girls (HR: 1.92; 95% CI: 1.01-3.66, no breastfeeding vs. ≥6 months) than other racial/ethnic groups.ConclusionsBreastfeeding is an independent predictor of pubertal onset in girls, and the strength of the association may vary by race/ethnicity. Providing breastfeeding support and lactation education for high risk mothers may help prevent earlier pubertal onset and promote positive health outcomes later in life

Informal Sector in the Sun-and-Beach Segment in Albania

This paper analyses the causes and consequences of the informality in the sun-and-beach segment in Albania, with focus to Durres coast. The analysis indicates that the main causes regard the chaotic political, social, economic and legal situation created after the fall of communism in Albania in 1990. The negative consequences include environmental and economic damage, negative image of the destination, unfair competition and conflicts about the land ownership. The paper suggests that informal tourism should be replaced by sustainable tourism because the latter may yield higher profits and Albania may become an important tourism destination in the region

Environmental Tobacco Smoke Exposure in Relation to Family Characteristics, Stressors and Chemical Co-Exposures in California Girls.

Childhood environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure is a risk factor for adverse health outcomes and may disproportionately burden lower socioeconomic status groups, exacerbating health disparities. We explored associations of demographic factors, stressful life events, and chemical co-exposures, with cotinine levels, among girls in the CYGNET Study. Data were collected from families of girls aged 6-8 years old in Northern California, through clinic exams, questionnaires and biospecimens (n = 421). Linear regression and factor analysis were conducted to explore predictors of urinary cotinine and co-exposure body burdens, respectively. In unadjusted models, geometric mean cotinine concentrations were higher among Black (0.59 ug/g creatinine) than non-Hispanic white (0.27), Asian (0.32), or Hispanic (0.34) participants. Following adjustment, living in a rented home, lower primary caregiver education, and lack of two biologic parents in the home were associated with higher cotinine concentrations. Girls who experienced parental separation or unemployment in the family had higher unadjusted cotinine concentrations. Higher cotinine was also associated with higher polybrominated diphenyl ether and metals concentrations. Our findings have environmental justice implications as Black and socio-economically disadvantaged young girls experienced higher ETS exposure, also associated with higher exposure to other chemicals. Efforts to reduce ETS and co-exposures should account for other disparity-related factors