The end of secularization in Europe? A socio-demographic perspective

Much of the current debate over secularization in Europe focuses only on the direction of religious change, and pays exclusive attention to social causes. Scholars have been less attentive to shifts in the rate of religious decline, and to the role of demography – notably fertility and immigration. This article addresses both phenomena. It uses data from the European Values Surveys and European Social Survey for the period 1981-2008 to establish basic trends in religious attendance and belief across the ten countries that have been consistently surveyed. These show that religious decline is mainly occurring in Catholic European countries and has effectively ceased among post-1945 birth cohorts in six northwestern European societies where secularization began early. It also provides a cohort component projection of religious affiliation for two European countries using fertility, migration, switching and age and sex-structure parameters derived from census and immigration data. These suggest that western Europe may be more religious at the end of our century than at its beginning

Elusiveness of bishomoaromaticity in anionic systems: the bicyclo[3.2.1]octa-3,6-dien-2-yl anion

This article does not have an abstract

Stabilization of the alleged bishomoromatic bicyclo[3.2.1]octa-2,6-dienyl anion by counterion interactions and by hyperconjugation

Hyperconjugation and inductive effects, rather than homoaromaticity, are responsible for the stabilization of the title anion in the gas phase; interaction of the double bond with the Li+ gegenion in the endo geometry contributes additionally in solution

Comparison of the Effects of Ice and 3.5% Menthol Gel on Blood Flow and Muscle Strength of the Lower Arm

Context: Soft-tissue injuries are commonly treated with ice or menthol gels. Few studies have compared the effects of these treatments on blood flow and muscle strength. Objective: To compare blood flow and muscle strength in the forearm after an application of ice or menthol gel or no treatment. Design: Repeated measures design in which blood-flow and muscle-strength data were collected from subjects under 3 treatment conditions. Setting: Exercise physiology laboratory. Participants: 17 healthy adults with no impediment to the blood flow or strength in their right arm, recruited through word of mouth. Intervention: Three separate treatment conditions were randomly applied topically to the right forearm: no treatment, 0.5 kg of ice, or 3.5 mL of 3.5% menthol gel. To avoid injury ice was only applied for 20 min. Main Outcome Measures: At each data-collection session blood flow (mL/min) of the right radial artery was determined at baseline before any treatment and then at 5, 10, 15, and 20 min after treatment using Doppler ultrasound. Muscle strength was assessed as maximum isokinetic flexion and extension of the wrist at 30°/s 20, 25, and 30 min after treatment. Results: The menthol gel reduced (–42%, P \u3c .05) blood flow in the radial artery 5 min after application but not at 10, 15, or 20 min after application. Ice reduced (–48%, P \u3c .05) blood flow in the radial artery only after 20 min of application. After 15 min of the control condition blood flow increased (83%, P \u3c .05) from baseline measures. After the removal of ice, wrist-extension strength did not increase per repeated strength assessment as it did during the control condition (9–11%, P \u3c .05) and menthol-gel intervention (8%, P \u3c .05). Conclusions: Menthol has a fast-acting, short-lived effect of reducing blood flow. Ice reduces blood flow after a prolonged duration. Muscle strength appears to be inhibited after ice application

Event Reconstruction for a DIRC

Monte Carlo simulations were made for a possible DIRC at the WASA detector at COSY. A statistical method for pattern recognition is presented and the possible angle resolution and velocity precision achieved are discussed.Comment: Minor changes in text. Figures updated. accepted by JINS

Enhanced Anandamide Plasma Levels in Patients with Complex Regional Pain Syndrome following Traumatic Injury: A Preliminary Report

The complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a disabling neuropathic pain condition that may develop following injuries of the extremities. The pathogenesis of this syndrome is not clear; however, it includes complex interactions between the nervous and the immune system resulting in chronic inflammation, pain and trophic changes. This interaction may be mediated by chronic stress which is thought to activate the endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) system (ECS). We conducted an open, prospective, comparative clinical study to determine plasma level of the endocannabinoid anandamide by high-performance liquid chromatography and a tandem mass spectrometry system in 10 patients with CRPS type I versus 10 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. As compared to healthy controls, CRPS patients showed significantly higher plasma concentrations of anandamide. These results indicate that the peripheral ECS is activated in CRPS. Further studies are warranted to evaluate the role of the ECS in the limitation of inflammation and pain. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base

The formation of ultra-compact dwarf galaxies and nucleated dwarf galaxies

Ultra compact dwarf galaxies (UCDs) have similar properties as massive globular clusters or the nuclei of nucleated galaxies. Recent observations suggesting a high dark matter content and a steep spatial distribution within groups and clusters provide new clues as to their origins. We perform high-resolution N-body / smoothed particle hydrodynamics simulations designed to elucidate two possible formation mechanisms for these systems: the merging of globular clusters in the centre of a dark matter halo, or the massively stripped remnant of a nucleated galaxy. Both models produce density profiles as well as the half light radii that can fit the observational constraints. However, we show that the first scenario results to UCDs that are underluminous and contain no dark matter. This is because the sinking process ejects most of the dark matter particles from the halo centre. Stripped nuclei give a more promising explanation, especially if the nuclei form via the sinking of gas, funneled down inner galactic bars, since this process enhances the central dark matter content. Even when the entire disk is tidally stripped away, the nucleus stays intact and can remain dark matter dominated even after severe stripping. Total galaxy disruption beyond the nuclei only occurs on certain orbits and depends on the amount of dissipation during nuclei formation. By comparing the total disruption of CDM subhaloes in a cluster potential we demonstrate that this model also leads to the observed spatial distribution of UCDs which can be tested in more detail with larger data sets.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figures, final version accepted for publication in MNRA

On the origin of 140 GHz emission from the 4 July 2012 solar flare

The sub-THz event observed on the 4 July 2012 with the Bauman Moscow State Technical University Radio Telescope RT-7.5 at 93 and 140~GHz as well as Kislovodsk and Mets\"ahovi radio telescopes, Radio Solar Telescope Network (RSTN), GOES, RHESSI, and SDO orbital stations is analyzed. The spectral flux between 93 and 140 GHz has been observed increasing with frequency. On the basis of the SDO/AIA data the differential emission measure has been calculated. It is shown that the thermal coronal plasma with the temperature above 0.5~MK cannot be responsible for the observed sub-THz flare emission. The non-thermal gyrosynchrotron mechanism can be responsible for the microwave emission near $10$~GHz but the observed millimeter spectral characteristics are likely to be produced by the thermal bremsstrahlung emission from plasma with a temperature of about 0.1~MK.Comment: 18 pages, 6 figure

Socio‐cognitive, expertise‐based and appearance‐based accounts of the other‐‘race’ effect in face perception: A label‐based systematic review of neuroimaging results (advance online)

Two competing theories explain the other-‘race’ effect (ORE) either by greater perceptual expertise to same-‘race’ (SR) faces or by social categorization of other-‘race’ (OR) faces at the expense of individuation. To assess expertise and categorization contributions to the ORE, a promising—yet overlooked—approach is comparing activations for differ-ent other-‘races’. We present a label-based systematic review of neuroimaging studies reporting increased activity in response to OR faces (African, Caucasian, or Asian) when compared with the SR of participants. Hypothetically, while common activations would reflect general aspects of OR perception, ‘race’-preferential ones would represent effects of ‘race’-specific visual appearance. We find that several studies report activation of occipito-temporal and midcingu-late areas in response to faces across different other-‘races’, presumably due to high demand on the visual system and category processing. Another area reported in response to all OR faces, the caudate nucleus, suggests the involvement of socio-affective processes and behavioural regulation. Overall, our results support hybrid models—both expertise and social categorization contribute to the ORE, but they provide little evidence for reduced motivation to process OR faces. Addi-tionally, we identify areas preferentially responding to specific OR faces, reflecting effects of visual appearanc