Microcosm, Tillich & Tao : a critique of Tillich's ontology

This thesis is a critique of Paul Tillich's ontology. It demonstrates inconsistency in Tillich's theological system, exposed by the microcosmic/macrocosmic theme, implicit in his theology. The thesis suggests that Tillich intuited the relationship between God and humanity in microcosmic/macrocosmic terms, but his tightly reasoned arguments stifled the intuition, causing the microcosmic theme to remain hidden under the more explicit concerns of his system. The thesis establishes the powerful microcosmic theme underlying Tillich's system, in which creaturely life is imbued with the Principles of divine life. This intimacy, coupled with inconsistency in Tillich's theology with regard to human freedom and estrangement, generates doubt about Tillich's assertion that creaturely estrangement from its divine ground is ontological in nature. In view of the fact that separation and estrangement are not merely idiosyncratic of Tillichian thought, but are entrenched in the western Christian tradition, the thesis looks outside that tradition to assess the validity of Tillich's claim with respect to the ontological nature of estrangement. To this end, the Chinese tradition is engaged, in order to ascertain the extent to which estrangement features in the ontology pertaining to a principal theme in that tradition, the Tao. In its exploration of the Tao through the two texts of the Lao Tzu and the Chuang Tzu, the thesis notes the absence of the theme of estrangement. In light of this, Tillich's insistence upon the ontological nature of estrangement is challenged on the grounds that if estrangement is truly ontological, it will be so for the whole of humankind, not solely for one particular tradition. Having shown Tillich's ontological assumption to be questionable, the thesis proceeds to consider the impact of the removal of the theme of estrangement from his system. It demonstrates that its removal not only permits the implicit microcosmic theme to be brought to the fore, but also transforms his theology from one based upon dualistic consciousness, with the inherent tensions and ambiguities that such awareness inevitably creates, to one based upon integration and holism. The thesis does not seek to offer a comparative study of the ontologies pertaining to Tillich and the Tao. Rather, it utilises the Tao as the means by which the researcher looks beyond Tillichian theology and the western tradition in which it was entrenched, in order to return to that theology with fresh insight. This is in accord with Tillich's own method of correlation, where he engages with that which lies beyond the finite creature, in order to gain fuller understanding of the nature of that creature

Identification of hip fracture patients from radiographs using Fourier analysis of the trabecular structure: a cross-sectional study

Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Automated Classification of Depression from Structural Brain Measures across Two Independent Community-based Cohorts

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: This study was supported and funded by the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award ‘Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally’ (STRADL) (Reference 104036/Z/14/Z), and the Medical Research Council Mental Health Pathfinder Award ‘Leveraging routinely collected and linked research data to study the causes and consequences of common mental disorders’ (Reference MRC-MC_PC_17209). MAH is supported by research funding from the Dr Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation. The research was conducted using the UK Biobank resource, with application number 4844. Structural brain imaging data from the UK Biobank was processed at the University of Edinburgh Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology (CCACE) http://www.ccace.ed.ac.uk/), which is a part of the crosscouncil Lifelong Health and Wellbeing Initiative (MR/K026992/1). CCACE received funding from Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), Medical Research Council (MRC), and was also supported by Age UK as part of The Disconnected Mind project. This work has made use of the resources provided by the Edinburgh Compute and Data Facility (ECDF) (http://www.ecdf.ed.ac.uk/)Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Exploiting in-situ NMR to monitor the formation of a metal-organic framework

The formation processes of metal–organic frameworks are becoming more widely researched using in situ techniques, although there remains a scarcity of NMR studies in this field. In this work, the synthesis of framework MFM-500(Ni) has been investigated using an in situ NMR strategy that provides information on the time-evolution of the reaction and crystallization process. In our in situ NMR study of MFM-500(Ni) formation, liquid-phase 1H NMR data recorded as a function of time at fixed temperatures (between 60 and 100 °C) afford qualitative information on the solution-phase processes and quantitative information on the kinetics of crystallization, allowing the activation energies for nucleation (61.4 ± 9.7 kJ mol−1) and growth (72.9 ± 8.6 kJ mol−1) to be determined. Ex situ small-angle X-ray scattering studies (at 80 °C) provide complementary nanoscale information on the rapid self-assembly prior to MOF crystallization and in situ powder X-ray diffraction confirms that the only crystalline phase present during the reaction (at 90 °C) is phase-pure MFM-500(Ni). This work demonstrates that in situ NMR experiments can shed new light on MOF synthesis, opening up the technique to provide better understanding of how MOFs are formed

Combined individual and family therapy in comparison to treatment as usual for people at risk of psychosis: A feasibility study (IF CBT): Trial rationale, methodology and baseline characteristics

Background: Current National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines for psychosis and Schizophrenia recommend the offer of psychological therapy with or without family intervention for those considered to be individuals at at-risk of developing psychosis. NICE guidelines for psychosis and schizophrenia in children and young people also have a specific research recommendation to investigate the clinical and cost effectiveness of combined individual and family intervention. We report here on the rationale, design and baseline characteristics of a feasibility study to investigate combined Individual and Family Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (IFCBT). for people considered to be at risk of developing psychosis in comparison to treatment as usual. Methods: The IFCBT study was a single blind, pilot randomised controlled trial (RCT) to compare a combined individual and family Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) intervention to treatment as usual. Participants were assessed using the Comprehensive Assessment of the At-risk Mental State (CAARMS) and randomly allocated to either therapy or enhanced treatment as usual (ETAU). All participants were followed up at six and twelve months. Primary feasibility outcomes were recruitment and retention of participants. Secondary outcomes included transition to psychosis and assessment of mood, anxiety and the relationship of the individual and nominated family member. Results: We report data showing entry into the study from initial enquiry to randomisation. We report the characteristics of the recruited sample of individuals (n=70) and family members (n=70) at baseline. (n=70). Conclusions: The study recruited to 92% of target demonstrating it is feasible to identify and recruit participants. Our study aimed to add to the current evidence base regarding the utility of family interventions for people at-risk of psychosis

Evaluating assumptions of scales for subjective assessment of thermal environments – Do laypersons perceive them the way, we researchers believe?

International audienc

The estimated prevalence of exposure to asthmagens in the Australian workforce

Background: There is very little information available on a national level as to the number of people exposed to specific asthmagens in workplaces. Methods: We conducted a national telephone survey in Australia to investigate the prevalence of current occupational exposure to 277 asthmagens, assembled into 27 groups. Demographic and current job information were obtained. A web-based tool, OccIDEAS, was used to collect job task information and assign exposure to each asthmagen group. Results: In the Australian Workplace Exposure Study – Asthma (AWES- Asthma) we interviewed 4878 participants (2441 male and 2437 female). Exposure to at least one asthmagen was more common among men (47 %) than women (40 %). Extrapolated to the Australian population, approximately 2.8 million men and 1.7 million women were estimated to be exposed. Among men, the most common exposures were bioaerosols (29 %) and metals (27 %), whilst the most common exposures among women were latex (25 %) and industrial cleaning and sterilising agents (20 %). Conclusions: This study provides information about the prevalence of exposure to asthmagens in Australian workplaces which will be useful in setting priorities for control and prevention of occupational asthma

The cost of diagnostic uncertainty: a prospective economic analysis of febrile children attending an NHS emergency department.

BACKGROUND: Paediatric fever is a common cause of emergency department (ED) attendance. A lack of prompt and definitive diagnostics makes it difficult to distinguish viral from potentially life-threatening bacterial causes, necessitating a cautious approach. This may result in extended periods of observation, additional radiography, and the precautionary use of antibiotics (ABs) prior to evidence of bacterial foci. This study examines resource use, service costs, and health outcomes. METHODS: We studied an all-year prospective, comprehensive, and representative cohort of 6518 febrile children (aged < 16 years), attending Alder Hey Children's Hospital, an NHS-affiliated paediatric care provider in the North West of England, over a 1-year period. Performing a time-driven and activity-based micro-costing, we estimated the economic impact of managing paediatric febrile illness, with focus on nurse/clinician time, investigations, radiography, and inpatient stay. Using bootstrapped generalised linear modelling (GLM, gamma, log), we identified the patient and healthcare provider characteristics associated with increased resource use, applying retrospective case-note identification to determine rates of potentially avoidable AB prescribing. RESULTS: Infants aged less than 3 months incurred significantly higher resource use than any other age group, at £1000.28 [95% CI £82.39-£2993.37] per child, (p < 0.001), while lesser experienced doctors exhibited 3.2-fold [95% CI 2.0-5.1-fold] higher resource use than consultants (p < 0.001). Approximately 32.4% of febrile children received antibiotics, and 7.1% were diagnosed with bacterial infections. Children with viral illnesses for whom antibiotic prescription was potentially avoidable incurred 9.9-fold [95% CI 6.5-13.2-fold] cost increases compared to those not receiving antibiotics, equal to an additional £1352.10 per child, predominantly resulting from a 53.9-h increase in observation and inpatient stay (57.1 vs. 3.2 h). Bootstrapped GLM suggested that infants aged below 3 months and those prompting a respiratory rate 'red flag', treatment by lesser experienced doctors, and Manchester Triage System (MTS) yellow or higher were statistically significant predictors of higher resource use in 100% of bootstrap simulations. CONCLUSION: The economic impact of diagnostic uncertainty when managing paediatric febrile illness is significant, and the precautionary use of antibiotics is strongly associated with increased costs. The use of ED resources is highest among infants (aged less than 3 months) and those infants managed by lesser experienced doctors, independent of clinical severity. Diagnostic advances which could increase confidence to withhold antibiotics may yield considerable efficiency gains in these groups, where the perceived risks of failing to identify potentially life-threatening bacterial infections are greatest