When Does Human Life Begin? Conception and Ensoulment

Is “human life” strictly a biological phenomenon measured from the moment when sperm and egg combine? Or does “human life” not actually begin until the immaterial aspect known as “the soul” appears at some indeterminate point? This essay examines the views held by various adherents of the Christian faith regarding the concepts of “conception” and “ensoulment” and the relation of these views to contemporary ethical issues having to do with abortion, in vitro fertilization, contraception, and stem cell research. The essay discusses the fact that Christians historically have been characterized by a marked lack of unity concerning the teachings of the Bible and tradition on these issues. The paper concludes with a discussion of how Pre-existentianists, Traducianists, and Creationists might or might not be troubled by contraceptive and abortive procedures, depending upon their varying convictions regarding ensoulment

The Breath of Life: Christian Perspectives on Conception and Ensoulment

Is “human life” strictly a biological phenomenon measured from the moment when sperm and egg combine? Or does “human life” not actually begin until the immaterial aspect known as “the soul” appears at some indeterminate point? This essay examines the views held by various adherents of the Christian faith regarding the concepts of “conception” and “ensoulment” and the relation of these views to contemporary ethical issues having to do with abortion, in vitro fertilization, contraception, and stem cell research. The essay discusses the fact that Christians historically have been characterized by a marked lack of unity concerning the teachings of the Bible and tradition on these issues. The paper concludes with a discussion of how Pre-existentianists, Traducianists, and Creationists might or might not be troubled by contraceptive and abortive procedures, depending upon their varying convictions regarding ensoulment

A multi-site array for combined local electrochemistry and electrophysiology in the non-human primate brain

AbstractBackgroundCurrently, the primary technique employed in circuit-level study of the brain is electrophysiology, recording local field or action potentials (LFPs or APs). However most communication between neurons is chemical and the relationship between electrical activity within neurons and chemical signaling between them is not well understood in vivo, particularly for molecules that signal at least in part by non-synaptic transmission.New methodWe describe a multi-contact array and accompanying head stage circuit that together enable concurrent electrophysiological and electrochemical recording. The array is small (<200μm) and can be assembled into a device of arbitrary length. It is therefore well-suited for use in all major in vivo model systems in neuroscience, including non-human primates where the large brain and need for daily insertion and removal of recording devices places particularly strict demands on design.ResultsWe present a protocol for array fabrication. We then show that a device built in the manner described can record LFPs and perform enzyme-based amperometric detection of choline in the awake macaque monkey.Comparison with existing methods Existing methods allow single mode (electrophysiology or electrochemistry) recording. This system is designed for concurrent, dual-mode recording. It is also the only system designed explicitly to meet the challenges of recording in non-human primates.ConclusionsOur system offers the possibility for conducting in vivo studies in a range of species that examine the relationship between the electrical activity of neurons and their chemical environment, with exquisite spatial and temporal precision

Can pay regulation kill? Panel Data evidence on the effect of labor markets on hospital performance.

In many sectors, pay is regulated to be equal across heterogeneous geographical labor markets. When the competitive outside wage is higher than the regulated wage, there are likely to be falls in quality. We exploit panel data from the population of English hospitals in which regulated pay for nurses is essentially flat across the country. Higher outside wages significantly worsen hospital quality as measured by hospital deaths for emergency heart attacks. A 10 percent increase in the outside wage is associated with a 7 percent increase in death This is a heavily revised version o