Group Rights in Liberalism's Religion - Cécile Laborde: Liberalism's Religion (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2017. Pp. 344)

Chapter 5 of Laborde’s incredibly rich analysis engages with the question of religious group rights. Laborde argues that the politically liberal state should grant (some) religious associations legal exemptions and protections, on the basis of their freedom-of-association-related interests: first, their coherence interest in living “by their own standards, purposes and commitments,” and second, their competence interest in being allowed to “interpret their own standards, purposes and commitments” (175). Accordingly, religious associations may be exempt from gender discrimination laws, if compliance would prevent them from acting as their religious doctrine requires them to (189). I offer two critical comments on Laborde’s account. My first concerns her treatment of ontological issues as irrelevant to group rights. The second concerns the scope of rights she is willing to grant religious associations

Hippocampal subfields and limbic white matter jointly predict learning rate in older adults

First published online: 04 December 2019Age-related memory impairments have been linked to differences in structural brain parameters, including cerebral white matter (WM) microstructure and hippocampal (HC) volume, but their combined influences are rarely investigated. In a population-based sample of 337 older participants aged 61-82 years (Mage = 69.66, SDage = 3.92 years), we modeled the independent and joint effects of limbic WM microstructure and HC subfield volumes on verbal learning. Participants completed a verbal learning task of recall over five repeated trials and underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), including structural and diffusion scans. We segmented three HC subregions on high-resolution MRI data and sampled mean fractional anisotropy (FA) from bilateral limbic WM tracts identified via deterministic fiber tractography. Using structural equation modeling, we evaluated the associations between learning rate and latent factors representing FA sampled from limbic WM tracts, and HC subfield volumes, and their latent interaction. Results showed limbic WM and the interaction of HC and WM-but not HC volume alone-predicted verbal learning rates. Model decomposition revealed HC volume is only positively associated with learning rate in individuals with higher WM anisotropy. We conclude that the structural characteristics of limbic WM regions and HC volume jointly contribute to verbal learning in older adults

Induction of Resistance Against Isotransplantation of Virus-Induced Myeloid Leukaemias

ALL the experiments carried out in various laboratories since the publicatioil

Coeliac trunk and its anatomic variations: a cadaveric study

Background: Coeliac trunk (CT) is the first major visceral branch of the abdominal aorta. The aim of this work was to present the CT division pattern and its anatomical variants in a sample of Polish population. Materials and methods: Coeliac trunk dissection was performed in 50 adult cadavers in the Department of Anatomy, Jagiellonian University Medical College. Cadavers of Polish subjects were included. Cadavers with previous upper abdominal surgery, abdominal trauma, disease process that distorted arterial anatomy or signs of putrefaction were excluded. CT variations, accessory vessels, and vertebral level of origin were described. CT patterns were reported according to the Adachi classification. This study was reviewed and approved by the local Ethics Committee. Results: Coeliac trunk consisting of the left gastric, common hepatic and splenic artery (type 1 according to the Adachi classification) was found in 82% of cadavers. The true tripod was found in 20% and the false one in 80%. Additional vessels were also found: greater pancreatic from the splenic artery and left inferior phrenic from the left gastric artery, which accounted for 2% sections. Type 2 according to the Adachi classification (i.e. the hepatosplenic trunk) was found in 16% of the sections. Other types of CT were not observed. The level of origin was found to be at the inter-vertebral disc between T12 and L1 in all of the cases. Conclusions: Based on the analysis of the sectional material of the Department of Anatomy, it was found that the typical visceral segmental division is approximate to that observed by Adachi in its classification, whereas the second type of CT was twice as frequent and no other, less frequent types were found

Rare combined variations of the coeliac trunk, accessory hepatic and gastric arteries with co-occurrence of double cystic arteries

Many variations of the coeliac trunk and hepatic or gallbladder arterial supply have been reported before in many cadaveric and radiologic studies. In this case we present combined anomalies observed in dissected cadaver of a 73-year-old female. The left gastric artery arises directly from the abdominal aorta and gives two branches: the right inferior phrenic artery in the proximal part and the accessory left hepatic artery in the distal part. The coeliac trunk is bifurcated into the common hepatic artery and the splenic artery. The right gastric artery emerges from the left hepatic artery. The right hepatic artery gives two cystic arteries and the accessory right hepatic artery is noticed arising from the posterior superior pancreaticoduodenal artery. The deep cystic artery and the right inferior phrenic artery give hepatic branches. Also, we noticed small accessory biliary duct going to the cystic duct. This complexity of the arterial supply with anomaly of the biliary ducts has many surgical implications which will be herein discussed