Late Sir Research Articles

Homage to the 'H' in developmental origins of health and disease.

Abundant evidence exists linking maternal and paternal environments from pericopconception through the postnatal period to later risk to offspring diseases. This concept was first articulated by the late Sir David Barker and as such coined the Barker Hypothesis. The term was then mutated to Fetal Origins of Adult Disease and finally broadened to developmental origins of adult health and disease (DOHaD) in recognition that the perinatal environment can shape both health and disease in resulting offspring. Developmental exposure to various factors, including stress, obesity, caloric-rich diets and environmental chemicals can lead to detrimental offspring health outcomes. However, less attention has been paid to date on measures that parents can take to promote the long-term health of their offspring. In essence, have we neglected to consider the 'H' in DOHaD? It is the 'H' component that should be of primary concern to expecting mothers and fathers and those seeking to have children. While it may not be possible to eliminate exposure to all pernicious factors, prevention/remediation strategies may tip the scale to health rather than disease. By understanding disruptive DOHaD mechanisms, it may also illuminate behavioral modifications that parents can adapt before fertilization and throughout the neonatal period to promote the lifelong health of their male and female offspring. Three possibilities will be explored in the current review: parental exercise, probiotic supplementation and breastfeeding in the case of mothers. The 'H' paradigm should be the focus going forward as a healthy start can indeed last a lifetime.

‘Posing for all the characters in the book’: the multimodal processes of production in Alison Bechdel’s relational autobiography Are You My Mother?

During the production process of her graphic novels, Alison Bechdel poses for all the characters (including her own former self), then makes a photo via a self-timer, and finally reproduces this photography via her hand drawing. As a consequence, her comics not only combine words and (drawn) pictures, but they also materialise various modes of experience: first, Bechdel performs a scene from the past with her own body, then she takes a photograph of that performance, then she reproduces the photograph in the mode of a handmade drawing, then that drawing is put into print via technical reproduction. Especially in the context of graphic auto/biography, this production process triggers certain questions concerning authenticity and self-staging. However, Bechdel not only performs her former self, but also re-embodies other people’s past experiences, which becomes particularly clear when she starts to learn her late father’s handwriting to be able to reproduce his letters to her mother. Against this background, the current article argues that Bechdel uses her own body as a medium of experience and interconnection that allows her to transgress the limited focalisation that the autobiographer is usually bound to, thereby working towards an intersubjective representation of the past.

What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American G.I. in World War II France

MARY LOUISE ROBERTS What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 2013, 368 pp.The intimate relationships that developed between American soldiers and French women during the Second World War as represented in American films such as Catch Me If You Can (2002) or Words (2012) are shown to be always romantic, adventurous, and ending up with the formation of a family. By contrast, French films that deal with the same subject depict the harsher realities of such connections. In Leon Morin, pretre (1961), for example, the main character, a French woman, is heading home with her daughter when two GI's they meet on the way decide to escort them, one offering to carry her bag. When they arrive home, the aforementioned soldier insists that the woman accompany him upstairs, and then proceeds to slowly force himself upon her, being stopped only by the woman's cries and his friend's intervention1.Mary Louise Roberts' book, What Soldiers Do: Sex and the American GI in World War II France, is concerned precisely with the difficult encounters such as the one described above, which were made possible by the Allied invasion of in 1944. Amply documented, the author shows an impressive command of both American and French archival sources, as well as of the existing secondary literature dealing with the epoch.Right from first pages, the reader gets a sense of the taboo subject the book is dealing with when Roberts mentions that her late father felt uneasy with the prospects of his daughter unearthing what went wrong in Normandy (xii). However, unlike other recent revisionist historians who have dealt with WII, Roberts does not question the morality of the war2, but rather certain decisions and behaviors of American troops following D-Day.Divided into three parts, Romance, Prostitution and Rape, the book successfully brings light on the development of sexual connections - both consensual and non-consensual - between American soldiers and French women, placing them in the context of twentieth century French politics and international relations. The notion that the personal is political has become common knowledge today, yet scholars who take note of this tend to restrict it to the policies of the nation state. By going beyond this trend, Roberts' study makes for an important addition to the literature on the history of sexuality.The first part of the book deals with the American invasion of and the early contacts between the American army and the French civilian population. When dealing with the invasion, Roberts uses techniques from Alltagsgeschichte, the Annales School type of cultural history, postcolonial and gender studies to go beyond standard military descriptions of the subject. She is concerned with the manner in which both the Americans and the French reacted, and successively adapted to the sights, sounds and smells, of war torn Normandy.Nonetheless, one cannot feel but wish that when handling such a subject, Roberts would pay more attention to certain matters instead of others. For example, when dealing with the way that Normans dealt with the dead bodies of American and German soldiers, she notes that the French universally showed respect for the fallen Americans and nothing but contempt for the Germans, so much so that even small children took part in grave robbing. Considering that Roberts previously showed that Americans received a rather ambiguous reception in Normandy, one is struck by the stark contrast between the attitude showed towards the living and the dead. The motive for this differentiation is left unanswered, and the reader is left puzzled. …

Ronglih Liao: Science as a Lifestyle.

Ronglih Liao studied hard as a teenager in Taiwan, but science was just one among many wide-ranging interests. At age 17, however, her focus abruptly became clear when her father was diagnosed with lung cancer, eventually leading Liao to a career in basic science with the potential to translate understanding into therapies for both rare and common cardiovascular diseases. After obtaining a chemistry degree, Liao fulfilled a promise to her late father to obtain an advanced degree overseas. For her PhD thesis at the University of Alabama Birmingham, she examined the interaction of troponin I with troponin C in bovine cardiac muscle.1 Then, Liao was recruited by 2 amazing mentors with independent laboratories and complementary expertise, Drs Judith Gwathmey and Joanne S. Ingwall, to undertake a collaborative project in cardiac physiology and myocardial energetics at Harvard Medical School. At the time, the concept that failing hearts were energy-starved was not yet accepted, and Liao deployed P31 nuclear magnetic resonance to detect decreased energy reserve in a model of dilated cardiomyopathy—baggy and sick turkey hearts—and establish its relationship to contractile performance.2 Liao set up her first independent laboratory at the Boston University School of Medicine, where she benefited from the university’s status as an internationally recognized center for the study of amyloidosis. Perfusing human immunoglobulin light chain proteins (amyloid precursors) into mouse heart, her laboratory was the first to demonstrate what the amyloidosis experts at Boston University had suspected—that amyloid light chain proteins were cardiotoxic and contributed directly to the pathogenesis and rapid progression of amyloid cardiomyopathy, independent of fibril formation and deposition.3 In 2005, Liao moved to Harvard Medical School, where she is now professor of medicine. At Brigham and Women’s Hospital, she directs the Cardiac Muscle Research Laboratory (since 2005), the Cardiovascular Flow Cytometry Core …

Review of Geri Fox's Saying Goodbye: A Stimulus Videotape Centering on Her Conversations with Simon Fox, Her Late Father.

Review of Geri Fox's Saying Goodbye: A Stimulus Videotape Centering on Her Conversations with Simon Fox, Her Late Father.

A Psychoanalytic Study of Sylvia Plath.

Sylvia Plath's rage at her abandoning husband and at her late beloved father was partly a displacement of anger toward her loving but smothering mother. Her schizoid pathology resulting from the symbiosis (along with her bipolarity) helped prompt her suicide. At the same time her rage at the men represented a struggle to prevent it. The focus of this paper is to explore in the context of her life how the style as well as the content of her last book, Ariel, made for one long suicide note-albeit a beautifully written work of art. In the most accessible of her poems, such as "Daddy," "Lady Lazarus," and "Edge," her health overcomes her pathology. In others her pathology dominates. In Ariel Plath attempted and succeeded in turning herself into a tragic, mythic heroine, eventually drowning herself in a gas oven as she would have in the ocean-a key metaphor for her mother.

Data Resource Profile: The Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND).

The Aberdeen Maternity and Neonatal Databank (AMND) was initiated in the department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, University of Aberdeen, in 1950, by the late Professor Sir Dugald Baird, in collaboration with the Medical Research Council’s (MRC’s) Medical Sociology Unit. It was originally set up as a resource for the study of the physiology, pathology and sociology of pregnancy, but the usefulness of the AMND has extended significantly beyond this through linkage with other health and social care records as well as intergenerational and family linkages. Intrauterine exposures can permanently alter physiology and metabolism, leading to higher risk of developing some diseases in adulthood as suggested by the Barker Hypothesis. 1 The AMND is an invaluable resource for life-course epidemiology, especially since it is one of the earliest and most comprehensive obstetric databases. From the year 1950 to the present, this unique database has been recording all the obstetric and fertility-related events occurring in women residing in Aberdeen, Scotland, UK. The data were initially held on punched cards, computerized in the 1970s. Subsequently, in 1986, it was redeveloped onto a relational database known as Scientific Information Retrieval (SIR). The database was re-platformed in 2007 and is now held in a Microsoft SQL server database with an Access Front End. Databank-related personnel are core funded by the University of Aberdeen, and additional funding from funded projects are used to maintain and enhance the databank.

Late Sir A. P. J. Abdul Kalam no more: Still he alive in our heart.

Late Sir A. P. J. Abdul Kalam no more: Still he alive in our heart.

My First Encounter with TQM ―My Late Father’s Aspiration―

My First Encounter with TQM ―My Late Father’s Aspiration―

Howard and Hall: Practical utopians?

This short paper reviews the late Sir Peter Hall’s update of the book that he wrote with Colin Ward — ‘Sociable cities’ — and compares him with Sir Ebenezer Howard as a utopian visionary, strategic planner, visionary and land economist, and suggests the role that new Garden Cities can play in meeting Britain’s housing needs.

Back to the Grassroots

In his 1988 essay, my late father, Yusif Sayigh, argued that the first Palestinian intifada had generated greater international understanding of the decades-long Palestinian struggle for national s...

Mindwalker by A. J. Steiger (review)

Reviewed by: Mindwalker by A. J. Steiger April Spisak Steiger, A. J. Mindwalker. Random House, 2015 [400p] Library ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49714-4 $20.99 Trade ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49713-7 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-553-49715-1 $10.99 Reviewed from galleys Ad Gr. 8-10 Lain is training to be a Mindwalker, an elite therapist who uses neural linking technology to explore the minds of patients and then erase all that troubles them. Steven is a teen who has accepted a legal suicide pill but hasn’t taken it yet. In their world, your psychological ranking is the key element in determining your status, freedom, access, and abilities, and Lain is clearly levels above Steven. She also wants to save everyone, however, which is how she ends up trying to help Steven get rid of his memories through illicit channels. The disturbing secrets she finds in his brain, though, reveal some truths about Lain’s beloved late father and change her forever. The world-building is effective and sharp; readers will have a clear sense of how the psychological guidelines evolved into mandates. However, there is a numbing sameness to the novel’s events that becomes particularly problematic given the book’s length: Lain slowly grasps one new thing about society at a time, Lain goes into Steven’s brain multiple times, Lain makes the same mistakes repeatedly. This makes for an imperfect novel, but it’s one with undeniable creativity and political savvy. Readers who have even a little bit of experience with psychological diagnoses or inscrutable treatment plans may find this world chillingly familiar; those who haven’t may find the notion of one’s psychological health as a determinant of one’s status to be a memorable, disturbing concept. Copyright © 2015 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Tribute to Rt Hon Sir Ivor Richardson, PCNZM

The following is a tribute to the late Sir Ivor Richardson. It was delivered by Justice John McGrath at a memorial service held at Old St Paul's in Wellington on 29 January 2015.

Wayne Riley: energetic new President for century-old ACP

Wayne Riley: energetic new President for century-old ACP

Obituary: A Remembrance of Henry Phil Gross MD (1930-2014).

Obituary: A Remembrance of Henry Phil Gross MD (1930-2014).

Sand, Sea and Ceremony: Conflict over the Littoral Public Realm in Sanur, Bali

This article is informed by a study of conflicting interests in the use of coastal zones in Bali. The case study is grounded in Sanur coastal area, which is one of the major tourist destinations on the Island. Its significance originated with the development of the Bali Beach Hotel (Inna Grand Bali Beach Hotel), a project initiated by President Soekarno, the late Indonesian Founding Father. This article focuses on the dominating influence of tourism on Sanur's development and its overarching concentration on economic gain over social benefit. As a result, this policy has generated social conflicts, including those pertaining to the environment, society as a whole and local culture. Consequently, this paper discusses two fundamental issues, where Sanur coastal area is viewed predominantly as the public realm, and not as a capital to be exploited. First, it examines land use typologies generated by various interests. Second, how economically driven land development has both obscured and degraded environmental, social, cultural, and state interests. In the case of coastal development in Bali, discussion over these two aspects is fundamental. In contrast to other societies, Balinese people regard the beach as a ritually important site. Symbolically, a beach is a place for disposal of waste as well as purification. If Sanur coastal area is to comply with sustainable development principles, it should conserve locally rooted traditions, economic interests, and the environment. Critically, and in conclusion, such concepts must be included in state planning policy governing coastal developments in Bali.

Does father abandonment have consequences for the reproductive strategies of girls? A study in Curaçao

The present research examined the consequences of father abandonment for the reproductive strategies of girls from the Caribbean island of Curacao. The sample consisted of 189 girls with an average age of 19.11 (SD = 2.97). Respondents were categorized in three groups, namely: ‘early father absence’ (abandoned between 0–5 years of age), ‘late father absence’ (abandoned between 6–13 years of age) and ‘father presence’ (father present during childhood). The results showed that compared to ‘late father absence’ girls and ‘father presence’ girls, ‘early father absence’ girls initiated sexual intercourse at a significant younger age. Moreover, they were less interested in getting married and in having grandchildren. These differences could not be explained by differences in educational level of the participants or occupational level of the father and the mother. There were no significant differences between the three groups in the age of menarche, the total number of sexual partners and the desire to have chil...

The Future of Religiosity Education in Catholic Schools in Yogyakarta, Indonesia

Religiosity education is an alternative to Catholic religious education in some Catholic schools in Yogyakarta. In religiosity education students learn to appreciate different religions. It was started in 1982 by the late Father Y.B. Mangunwijaya, and later developed by the Commission of Religious Education in the Diocese of Semarang (which includes Yogyakarta). This development took place at a time of tension for Christian schools, because, under the terms of a new law, they had to offer religious education specific to every student's religion. Religiosity education was successfully developed as a new curriculum, which met the criteria of multicultural education. Unfortunately, when the government Education Office in Yogyakarta did not accept religiosity education as an alternative to Catholic religious education, most Catholic schools withdrew from implementing it. The future of religiosity education in Yogyakarta was uncertain. However, this research shows that much Catholic religious education is currently undertaken in the same way as religiosity education, using the reflective pedagogy paradigm. So the spirit of religiosity education remains in these schools – though without the actual term. The paper argues that the spirit of religiosity education should be maintained in Catholic schools in Yogyakarta in order to contribute to making Yogya a true ‘city of tolerance’.

Historical perspectives of allergy and immunology and allergen immunotherapy

During my youth, I had my first encounter with the specialty of allergy while assisting my physician-father, an allergist/immunologist, in preparing allergen extracts from ragweed pollen and house dust. These extracts were used for skin testing and subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT) in his clinical practice in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. It was a common practice before commercial extracts were universally available in the United States. My father was initially trained as a family practitioner and later, after theWorldWar II, took an apprenticeship in allergy/immunology at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Thereafter, he devoted his entire life to thefield. Hewas the founding father of the Pennsylvania Allergy & Asthma Association and an active member of both the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology and the AmericanAcademyofAllergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) and usually had an abstract or two to present at their annual meetings. I vividly remember attending these meetings with my 2 brothers: my older brother, Stephen Daniel Lockey, a practicing allergist/immunologist in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and my younger brother, James Edward Lockey, a pulmonary/occupational physician and academicianat theUniversityofCincinnati,Ohio. Training in the specialtywas not formalized until 1971.1 Figure 1 is a picture of my late father and his charge nurse, Ms. Sarah Landis, taken in the early 1950s. While attending Haverford College, Haverford, Pennsylvania, I had the privilege of participating in immunologic research in a basic research laboratory, where I became fascinated with the world of immunology, an area of special interest to 2 of my professors, Irving Finger, PhD, and Mel Santer, PhD. I vividly remember plating out Petri plates with agar gel, cutting and aspirating the wells, and then applying antigen and serum containing antibodies prepared in rabbits for Ouchterlony double-diffusion studies. Likewise, similar studies were performed in capillary tubes. I also remember how

Solomon Tesfaye: preventing complications of diabetic neuropathy

Solomon Tesfaye: preventing complications of diabetic neuropathy