Subject and body in Basran Mu'tazilism, or: Mu'tazilite kalām and the fear of triviality.

In this paper, my aim is to offer some comment on the study of Mu'tazilite kalām, framed around the study of a particular episode in the Mu'tazilite dispute about man ('mā huwa al-insān') -- a question with a deceptively Aristotelian cadence that is not too difficult to dispel. Within this episode, my focus is on one of the major arguments used by the late Basrans to hold up their side of the dispute (a side heavily indebted to Abū Hāshim's ontological innovations), and on the relationship between the mental and the physical (or the subjective and objective) which emerges from it. The most interesting -- and most surprising -- aspect of this relationship is that the mental and the physical do not seem to be treated as distinct terms, thus creating the space for questions about how the two relate.

How do infertile couples choose their IVF centers? An Internet-based survey.

We evaluated and compared different factors affecting a patient's choice of initial and subsequent in vitro fertilization (IVF) clinics using an Internet-based survey. The two highest-ranking factors affecting both initial and subsequent clinic choices were the success rate of the clinic and the quality of the service provided.

Human genetic diversity: Lewontin's fallacy.

In popular articles that play down the genetical differences among human populations, it is often stated that about 85% of the total genetical variation is due to individual differences within populations and only 15% to differences between populations or ethnic groups. It has therefore been proposed that the division of Homo sapiens into these groups is not justified by the genetic data. This conclusion, due to R.

Cervicofacial necrotising fasciitis: management with neck dissection and topical negative pressure.

Copious exudate prevented skin-graft take following a bilateral neck dissection in a case of cervicofacial necrotising fasciitis. The use of topical negative pressure avoided extensive skin excision and complicated reconstructive surgery.

The fundamental theorem of natural selection.

R. A. Fisher's Fundamental Theorem of Natural Selection states that the rate of increase in the mean fitness of a population ascribable to gene-frequency changes is exactly equal to the additive genetic variance in fitness.

Motions caused by the growth of Bacillus subtilis macrofibres in fluid medium result in new forms of movement of the multicellular structures over solid surfaces.

Bacillus subtilis macrofibres, highly ordered multicellular structures, undergo twisting and writhing motions when they grow in fluid medium as a result of forces generated by the elongation of individual cells. Macrofibres are denser than the fluid medium in which they are cultured, consequently they settle to the bottom of the growth chamber and grow in contact with it. The ramifications of growth on plastic and glass surfaces were examined.

Meta-analysis of the ACE gene in ischaemic stroke.

Objectives: The angiotensin-1 converting enzyme (ACE) gene is known to have two polymorphic alleles I/D. People with the DD genotype have been shown to be at greater risk of myocardial infarction, but only in some studies. Similar studies in stroke patients also show inconsistent results, but most of these studies have been underpowered to detect a small contribution to stroke risk from the ACE gene.

The prevalence of cataract in two villages of northern Pakistan with different levels of ultraviolet radiation.

To study the effect of ultraviolet (UV) light on the development of age-related cataract, a community-based cross-sectional study was undertaken in two villages in the mountainous Northern Areas of Pakistan. The relative UV light exposure was calculated by the UK Universities Global Atmospheric Modelling Program using the variables direct sunlight hours per day, latitude and ground reflectivity. A total of 797 subjects (410 men, 387 women) over the age of 40 years from both villages were examined for the presence of cataract.