What of nonreligion in the public sphere?

Could replacing existing notions of ‘religion’ with more inclusive categories be a better fit for increasingly ‘nonreligious’ societies? A recent UCL roundtable discussion on unbelief raised questions about several areas of social and public life where it might be necessary to take better account of the nonreligious. Lois Lee argues that a positive role for religion in the public sphere will rely on finding egalitarian models that incorporate the nonreligious alongside the religious

The nonreligious are Britain’s hidden majority

Filling out all sorts of forms often and increasingly includes the disclosure of faith, under which the option ‘none’ frequently appears. Yet it is unclear how homogenous the beliefs of those who comprise the category are, while the term ‘nonreligious’ is often equated with established atheist views. Lois Lee explains that this lack of understanding means we not only fail to appreciate the beliefs of a substantive part of the population but we are also unable to consider their views in policy-making and in public life more broadly

Memorandum, to Bill Claflin, from Lois Lee (Administrative Assistant in the President\u27s Office), February 10, 1981

Memorandum discussing Governor Carlin\u27s tour of campus and possible invitation to the dedication ceremony.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/rarick/1047/thumbnail.jp

Memorandum, to Bill Claflin, from Lois Lee (Administrative Assistant in the President\u27s Office), May 28, 1980

Memorandum discussing the schedule for the dedication ceremony during Homecoming 1981.https://scholars.fhsu.edu/rarick/1046/thumbnail.jp

Methods to investigate the structure and connectivity of the nervous system

Understanding the computations that take place in neural circuits requires identifying how neurons in those circuits are connected to one another. In addition, recent research indicates that aberrant neuronal wiring may be the cause of several neurodevelopmental disorders, further emphasizing the importance of identifying the wiring diagrams of brain circuits. To address this issue, several new approaches have been recently developed. In this review, we describe several methods that are currently available to investigate the structure and connectivity of the brain, and discuss their strengths and limitations

Treatments for dry age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt disease : a systematic review

Background Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the leading cause of visual loss in older people. Advanced AMD takes two forms, neovascular (wet) and atrophic (dry). Stargardt disease (STGD) is the commonest form of inherited macular dystrophy. Objective To carry out a systematic review of treatments for dry AMD and STGD, and to identify emerging treatments where future NIHR research might be commissioned. Design Systematic review. Methods We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science and The Cochrane Library from 2005 to 13 July 2017 for reviews, journal articles and meeting abstracts. We looked for studies of interventions that aim to preserve or restore vision in people with dry AMD or STGD. The most important outcomes are those that matter to patients: visual acuity (VA), contrast sensitivity, reading speed, ability to drive, adverse effects of treatment, quality of life, progression of disease and patient preference. However, visual loss is a late event and intermediate predictors of future decline were accepted if there was good evidence that they are strong predictors of subsequent visual outcomes. These include changes detectable by investigation, but not necessarily noticed by people with AMD or STGD. ClinicalTrials.gov, the World Health Organization search portal and the UK Clinical Trials gateway were searched for ongoing and recently completed clinical trials. Results The titles and abstracts of 7948 articles were screened for inclusion. The full text of 398 articles were obtained for further screening and checking of references and 112 articles were included in the final report. Overall, there were disappointingly few good-quality studies (including of sufficient size and duration) reporting useful outcomes, particularly in STGD. However we did identify a number of promising research topics, including drug treatments, stem cells, new forms of laser treatment, and implantable intraocular lens telescopes. In many cases, research is already under way, funded by industry or government