Space, Region & Society: Geographical Essays in Honor of Robert H. Stoddard

As an expression of their friendship and esteem, the authors dedicate these essays to Robert H. Stoddard in honor of his many years of exemplary service to the people of Nebraska, the World, and the discipline of Geography. After earning the BA at Nebraska Wesleyan (1950), an MA at the University of Nebraska (1960), and the PhD at the University of Iowa (1966), Dr. Stoddard taught for some forty combined years at Nebraska Wesleyan University (1961-67) and the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (1967 to the present, where he is now Professor Emeritus). He also taught high school in India (1952-57), and was Visiting Professor at Tribhuvan University in Kathmandu, Nepal (1975-76), and the University of Columbo in Sri Lanka (1986). In addition to much productive research, many scholarly publications (notably Field Techniques and Research Methods in Geography, 1982), and unstinting university service, he also served his local community as a member of the Lincoln-Lancaster Planning Commission (1974-78). In 1992, the National Council for Geographic Education bestowed on him its Distinguished Teaching Achievement Award. Essays or chapters have been contributed by Michael R. Hill, Carl Ritter, Nainie Lenora Robertson Stoddard, Thomas Doering, Steve Kale, Carolyn V. Prorok, and Surinder M. Bhardwaj. The book includes Dr. Stoddard’s essay “Regionalization and Regionalism in Sri Lanka,” as well as a bibliography of his writings and professional papers, a chronology of publications and papers presented, and a list of dissertations and thesis supervised.https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/zeabook/1046/thumbnail.jp

Geography of Religion and Belief Systems

Spatial and environmental dimensions of religious behavior, artefacts, and attitudes are grist for the geographer’s intellectual mill because spiritually motivated convictions and actions play an important role in human affairs. It is not surprising, therefore, that the geography of religion and belief systems is an important, emerging field of study. We commence this chapter with a definition of the field, particularly as it entails distinctions that arise out of the highly personal nature that religious belief is accorded in the academy and society at large. A limited review and summary of trends in the field over the past decade follows, building on Kong’s (1990) and Sopher’s (1967, 1981) overviews. Although North American geographers are emphasized here, research in the geography of religion is thoroughly entwined in terms of scholars’ national origin, university training, and research perspectives, thus making distinctions in nationality difficult. Moreover, geographers who do not consider themselves to be geographers of religion and numerous nongeographers also make significant contributions to this field because their work clearly incorporates both religious and geographic components in their analysis and subject matter. We note that traditional empirical studies largely dominate the work published in the last decade. Nevertheless, humanistic research (Weightman 1996; Cooper 1997a; Prorok 1997; Osterrieth 1997), and the application of contemporary critical theory (Fielder 1995; Kong 1993a, b; Prorok 2000) in this field is gaining ground, particularly via recent dissertations and presentations at AAG meetings. Additional comments about future challenges and opportunities conclude the chapter

Identification of Genetic Susceptibility Loci for Colorectal Tumors in a Genome-Wide Meta-analysis

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Heritable factors contribute to the development of colorectal cancer. Identifying the genetic loci associated with colorectal tumor formation could elucidate the mechanisms of pathogenesis. METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study that included 14 studies, 12,696 cases of colorectal tumors (11,870 cancer, 826 adenoma), and 15,113 controls of European descent. The 10 most statistically significant, previously unreported findings were followed up in 6 studies; these included 3056 colorectal tumor cases (2098 cancer, 958 adenoma) and 6658 controls of European and Asian descent. RESULTS: Based on the combined analysis, we identified a locus that reached the conventional genome-wide significance level at less than 5.0 × 10(−8): an intergenic region on chromosome 2q32.3, close to nucleic acid binding protein 1 (most significant single nucleotide polymorphism: rs11903757; odds ratio [OR], 1.15 per risk allele; P = 3.7 × 10(−8)). We also found evidence for 3 additional loci with P values less than 5.0 × 10(−7): a locus within the laminin gamma 1 gene on chromosome 1q25.3 (rs10911251; OR, 1.10 per risk allele; P = 9.5 × 10(−8)), a locus within the cyclin D2 gene on chromosome 12p13.32 (rs3217810 per risk allele; OR, 0.84; P = 5.9 × 10(−8)), and a locus in the T-box 3 gene on chromosome 12q24.21 (rs59336; OR, 0.91 per risk allele; P = 3.7 × 10(−7)). CONCLUSIONS: In a large genome-wide association study, we associated polymorphisms close to nucleic acid binding protein 1 (which encodes a DNA-binding protein involved in DNA repair) with colorectal tumor risk. We also provided evidence for an association between colorectal tumor risk and polymorphisms in laminin gamma 1 (this is the second gene in the laminin family to be associated with colorectal cancers), cyclin D2 (which encodes for cyclin D2), and T-box 3 (which encodes a T-box transcription factor and is a target of Wnt signaling to β-catenin). The roles of these genes and their products in cancer pathogenesis warrant further investigation