Medical Use of Marijuana: Legal and Ethical Conflicts in the Patient/Physician Relationship

Kenneth Jenks was born a hemophiliac, inheriting the condi- tion from his mother. He contracted the HIV virus from a blood transfusion in 1980 and unknowingly passed the virus to his wife, Barbara Jenks. Mrs. Jenks was the first to suffer the effects of the illness. Her weight dropped by nearly forty pounds in three weeks due to constant debilitating nausea, and she was repeatedly hospitalized for two- to three-week stretches. Mrs. Jenks tried a half-dozen different oral medications for nausea to no avail, and could not function after shots for nausea left her in a stupor. Mr. Jenks experienced similar nausea and weight loss when he began AZT treatment

Small Mammals in Prairie Wetlands: Habitat Use and the Effects of Wetland Modifications

Although well documented for other habitat types, small mammal habitat use patterns in prairie wetlands are poorly understood. The distribution of the mammal fauna of South Dakota is also not well known. Because of the lack of information in these areas, evaluation of the impacts of wetland modifications on the resident mammal community is not possible. The objectives of this study were (1) to document the species composition and abundance of small mammal communities inhabiting prairie wetland basins, (2) to determine the effects of small scale habitat modification on small mammals, (3) and to explain local species distribution patterns using habitat measurements. This study was conducted during the summers of 1981 and 1982. Meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus) were the most common small mammal in prairie wetlands, followed by deer mice (Peromyscus spp.), masked shrews (Sorex cinereous), meadow jumping mice (Zapus hudsonius) and northern short-tailed shrews (Blarina brevicauda). Deer mine were more common in modified habitats within wetland basins than in undisturbed habitat. Modification of wetlands tended to reduce the species diversity of small mammals I the modified areas. Local distributions of species seemed to be largely determined by soil moisture. Meadow voles used the wettest habitats and deer mice used the driest. Both species of shrew seemed to use habitats intermediate in terms of moisture between wetlands and uplands

A Case for Investigating the Ethics of Artificial Life?

A major stream of Artificial Life (ALife) research aims to build synthetic life forms, operating in virtual worlds, implemented as computer programs. A clear long-term target for this research is the evolution of digital life-forms with a complexity of structure and behaviour analogous to biological life-forms, potentially exhibiting intelligence and self-awareness. The creation of intelligent, self-aware digital life-forms has clear ethical implications, but there is no current research into how these ethical issues might be addressed. This paper argues that such ethical research is needed. Furthermore, it describes our future research plans to build a solid philosophical foundation for the consideration of these ethical issues

The rise of mindfulness and its resonance with the Islamic tradition

© 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group. Mindfulness-based interventions have grown in prominence over the past decade. Evidence of their efficacy has been an important driver of their widespread acceptance and proliferation. Although secularised, these mindfulness-based interventions are derived from and influenced by Eastern spiritual traditions, particularly Buddhism. For this reason, there is a need to explore the acceptability of such approaches among individuals firmly committed to theistic traditions such as Judaism, Christianity and Islam. This article examines the rise of mindfulness-based interventions, exploring the sparse literature concerning the acceptability of such approaches among individuals with theistic perspectives divergent from both secular worldviews and Buddhist narratives. Finally, the article proposes several bridging concepts that might help practitioners of mindfulness-based approaches communicate key aspects of these interventions in a manner more culturally attuned and religiously resonant with the worldviews of Muslim clients

Religiosity: Reducing Depressive Symptoms Amongst Muslim Females in the United Arab Emirates

Religiosity has previously been associated with greater wellbeing, as well as with lower rates of depressive disorders and less severe levels of depressive symptoms. Relatively few studies however, have explored this association in Muslim populations. The present study explores the relationship between religiosity and depressive symptoms amongst female citizens of the United Arab Emirates. Using a cross-sectional correlational design, a convenience sample of college students (N = 459) completed the Religious Conviction Inventory (RCI-10), adapted to the Islamic context, along with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). Both instruments demonstrated good psychometric properties and as hypothesized, religiosity was negatively correlated with depressive symptoms. Further, individuals categorized as experiencing severe depressive symptoms reported significantly lower levels of religiosity, compared to their asymptomatic counterparts. These findings lend further support to the idea that religiosity may act as a resilience-factor in the context of depression, extending this idea to female citizens of the United Arab Emirates. The findings of this study are understood in the context of the second wave of positive psychology, called PP 2.0, which looks at positive and negative factors in individual\u27s lives as both interact to produce positive clinical outcomes

Editorial: Academic advising and tutoring for student success in higher education: international approaches

Editorial on the Research Topic Academic Advising and Tutoring for Student Success in Higher Education: International Approache