Religious Tastes and Styles as Markers of Class Belonging: A Bourdieuian Perspective on Pentecostalism in South America

Studies on the relationship between social class and religion tend to highlight the demographic dimension of class, but neglect its symbolic dimension. By addressing the symbolic dimensions through a Bourdieuian approach, this article contends that religious tastes and styles can be employed as class markers within the sphere of religion. A case study on Argentinean Pentecostalism and in-depth analysis of a lower and middle class church illustrate how symbolic class differences are cultivated in the form of distinctive religious styles. While the lower class church displays a style marked by emotional expressiveness and the search for life improvement through spiritual practices, the middle class church performs a sober and calm style of Pentecostalism. The study highlights the role of styles in the reproduction of class boundaries, while shedding a critical light on the importance of tastes

Status of the BELLE II Pixel Detector

The Belle II experiment at the super KEK B-factory (SuperKEKB) in Tsukuba, Japan, has been collecting $e^+e^−$ collision data since March 2019. Operating at a record-breaking luminosity of up to $4.7×10^{34} cm^{−2}s^{−1}$, data corresponding to $424 fb^{−1}$ has since been recorded. The Belle II VerteX Detector (VXD) is central to the Belle II detector and its physics program and plays a crucial role in reconstructing precise primary and decay vertices. It consists of the outer 4-layer Silicon Vertex Detector (SVD) using double sided silicon strips and the inner two-layer PiXel Detector (PXD) based on the Depleted P-channel Field Effect Transistor (DePFET) technology. The PXD DePFET structure combines signal generation and amplification within pixels with a minimum pitch of $(50×55) μm^2$. A high gain and a high signal-to-noise ratio allow thinning the pixels to $75 μm$ while retaining a high pixel hit efficiency of about $99$. As a consequence, also the material budget of the full detector is kept low at $≈0.21$$\frac{X}{X_0}$ per layer in the acceptance region. This also includes contributions from the control, Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC), and data processing Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) as well as from cooling and support structures. This article will present the experience gained from four years of operating PXD; the first full scale detector employing the DePFET technology in High Energy Physics. Overall, the PXD has met the expectations. Operating in the intense SuperKEKB environment poses many challenges that will also be discussed. The current PXD system remains incomplete with only 20 out of 40 modules having been installed. A full replacement has been constructed and is currently in its final testing stage before it will be installed into Belle II during the ongoing long shutdown that will last throughout 2023

Exacerbation of atopic dermatitis upon grass pollen exposure in an environmental challenge chamber

Background: It has frequently been speculated that pruritus and skin lesions develop after topical exposure to aeroallergens in sensitized patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). Objective: To study the cutaneous reactions to grass pollen in adult patients suffering from AD with accompanying clear IgE-sensitization to grass allergen in an environmental challenge chamber using a monocenter, double-blind, placebo-controlled study design. Methods: Subjects were challenged on two consecutive days with either 4000 pollen grains/m3 of Dactylis glomerata pollen or clean air. The severity of AD was assessed at each study visit up to five days post challenge by (objective) scoring atopic dermatitis (SCORAD) and Investigator Global Assessment (IGA). Additionally, air-exposed and non-air exposed skin areas were each scored by modified SCORAD and IGA assessments. Serum CCL17 (TARC) levels were determined by ELISA. The primary endpoint of the study was the change in objective SCORAD between pre-challenge and post-challenge. Results: Exposure to grass pollen induced a significant worsening of AD. A pronounced flare-up of air-exposed eczema rather than of covered skin areas occurred. With exposure to grass pollen a trend of increased CCL17 could be observed. Conclusions: This study demonstrates that controlled exposure to airborne allergens of patients with so-called “extrinsic” IgE-mediated form of AD induced a worsening of dermal symptoms. This trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01475994)