In vitro-uptake of L-Dopa and catecholamines into the epidermal Langerhans cell

The Langerhans cells are capable of taking up L-dopa and the catecholamines dopamine and noradrenaline when exposed to these substances in vitro. Within the cell L-dopa is found in the cytoplasm as well as in the nucleus, whereas the catecholamines are confined to cytoplasmic granules. The L-dopa uptake is most probably carrier-mediated and the hypothesis is brought forward that L-dopa enters the cell by exchange diffusion. At present little is known about the nature of the amine uptake mechanism

A new method for the visualization of the epidermal Langerhans cell and its application on normal and allergic skin

When skin specimens are exposed in vitro to L-dopa and catecholamines these substances accumulate in the Langerhans cells where they can be visualized with the histofluorescence method of Falck and Hillarp. Some methodological aspects are discussed and a preliminary study of Langerhans cells in contact allergy is reported

Childhood, youth and non-religion: Towards a social research agenda

Popular and academic interest in the phenomenon of ‘non-religion’, including atheism, humanism and agnosticism, is currently on the rise, reflected in the proliferation of social research on this important theme. Yet, despite a parallel growth in scholarship on childhood, youth and religion, little interest has so far been directed towards non-religion in this context. This article brings together these two concerns through a review of research themes concerned with non-religion and their potential relevance for childhood and youth studies. In so doing, it maps out an agenda for future social research in the field of childhood, youth and non-religion

Attitudes toward political rights and religious affiliation, experience, saliency and openness : an empirical enquiry among students in England and Wales

This study explores the association between attitude toward political rights, self-assigned religious affiliation (Christian, Muslim, and unaffiliated), religious experience, religious saliency and interreligious openness among a sample of 1058 students between the ages of 14 and 18 years in England and Wales, after taking into account personal factors, psychological factors, and home environment factors. While religious saliency and interreligious openness both predicted a more positive attitude toward political rights, after taking these attitudinal factors into account self-assigned religious affiliation (both Christian and Muslim) predicted a less positive attitude toward political rights. Before taking religious saliency and interreligious openness into account self-assigned religious affiliation as Muslim showed a positive effect and self-assigned religious affiliation as Christian showed no effect. This finding highlights the fallacy of discussing self-assigned religious affiliation independently of distinguishing the religious saliency and style of such affiliation

Religious freedom in context: A comparison between Belarus and Romania

This chapter is an attempt to contribute the comparative study of religious freedom and Eastern Orthodoxy in sociological perspective. By examining the socio-legal similarities and differences in religious freedom governance in Orthodox Belarus and Romania and patterns of religious freedom views among adolescents (16\u201319 years old) in Belarus (N = 651) and Romania (N = 589), the authors argue that the official religious freedom policies had resemblance with religious freedom views of a young generation. The current empirical study showed a greater level of skepticism towards religious freedom entitlements expressed by young people in Belarus, compared to Romania. For both countries, this study indicated differences between non-religious, religious majority, and religious minorities groups in regard to \u2018religious freedom entitlements,\u2019 but not in regard to \u2018religious freedom governance.\u2019 Considering the similarities in religious freedom views regarding the predictive power of individual religiosity together with the traditional role of religion linking national and spiritual elements and the absence of predictive effect by religious pluralism, we problematize the concept of religious freedom for the further analysis of Orthodoxy worldwide. Based on empirical evidence, we discuss how sociology of religious freedom advances the study of Orthodox tradition and modernization nexus and better understanding of relationship between individual beliefs and institutional conditions that affect religious freedom advancement in Eastern European Orthodox countries

Some ethnic Swedish students’ discourses on religion : secularism par excellence

Having been almost abandoned during the latter part of the 1900s, religion and youth is currently a growing field of research in Europe. Since people thought that secularisation would eradicate religion as a phenomenon, there was obviously no major reason to investigate young people’s attitudes towards religion. Since that time, the understanding of the world and its complex relationship with religion has changed, and this now attracts much discussion. In Europe, this not only concerns religion and youth among different migrant groups, but also research on religion and youth of those born and raised in Europe itself and integrated into the historic majority. The aim of this paper is to revisit and reanalyse the results of two qualitative research projects based on interviews with young students in schools who identify themselves as Swedish. I analyze their discursive constructions on their own religion and the religions of ‘others’. The data point towards a strong secularist discourse, where the Swedish students identify themselves as having a modern and rational worldview. On the other hand, they regard religion and religious people as old-fashioned and irrational. The focus in this article concerns articulations constructing this overarching secularist discourse, which I discuss in light of the contemporary debate on secularisation and secularism. However, most of the young students in the research appreciated the subject of Religious Education in Sweden as a means towards understanding the world. This was especially so in discussions on Religious Education with upper secondary school students, whereas younger students found religion to be more boring and traditional; thus the subject having difficulties in relating to the younger students’ experiences.First Online: 31 May 2017</p