Applicability of Islamic Methodology Concerning Novel Issues to the Organ Transplantation in Religious Scholars’ Contemporary Discourse

Classical Islamic theology has laid down a meticulous and intricate methodology of dealing with novel issues from theological perspectives; to understand and actualise religious viewpoints regarding any matter or event that did not take place during the early formative period of Islamic Shari’ah, i.e., the lifetime of the Prophet (S.). During the later formative period, classical Islamic scholars developed several principles such as Qiyas (analogical deduction), Ijma’(consensus), Istihsan (public interest), ‘Urf (local norms) and so on, that all together would build the construct of the concept of Ijtihad (independent interpretation), and which would be carried out by competent religious scholars. Organ transplantation, of which organ donation is a conceptual component, is a contemporary issue that was not familiar among Muslim scholars in the early era. Therefore, it is the contemporary religious scholars’ responsibility to address this matter and bring Islamic judicial inference into the discussion. In doing so, some of the scholars differ in opinions. This paper aims to offer an introductory survey of the religious viewpoints on this issue, as presented by leading scholars from different schools of thought. This study will also include the judicial principles they have adopted in reaching those opinions. By doing so, this paper will introduce an overview of current and ongoing theological discourse on the matter of organ transplantation and donation.

Reconsidering the Age and Typological Character of “Pox Pottery” from Guerrero, Mexico

We revisit the age and typological character of “Pox Pottery” that was reported in the 1960s by Charles Brush who considered it to be uniquely early (~2440 BC). Investigating the same two sites in coastal Guerrero where Brush excavated, we recovered Early Formative ceramics, some with the “pox” attribute. Here, we report potsherd frequencies for these deposits at both sites according to regional ceramic typologies, as well as AMS 14C dates used to establish a Bayesian stratigraphic chronology for each site to better constrain the age of these Early Formative period deposits. We argue that “Pox Pottery” is not a ceramic type per se and that the “pox” attribute occurs in multiple Early Formative period ceramic types. The earliest pottery is similar to other Red-on-Buff ceramic traditions from the Central Mexican Highlands and west of the Isthmus of Tehuantepec. Our chronological work demonstrates that these ceramics date between 1820 and 1400 cal BC, consistent with other recent studies indicating an early age of Red-on-Buff ceramics and suggesting shared cultural traditions distinct from the contemporary Locona interaction sphere that emerged in parallel.

Ancient DNA reveals the lost domestication history of South American camelids in Northern Chile and across the Andes

The study of South American camelids and their domestication is a highly debated topic in zooarchaeology. Identifying the domestic species (alpaca and llama) in archaeological sites based solely on morphological data is challenging due to their similarity with respect to their wild ancestors. Using genetic methods also presents challenges due to the hybridization history of the domestic species, which are thought to have extensively hybridized following the Spanish conquest of South America that resulted in camelids slaughtered en masse. In this study, we generated mitochondrial genomes for 61 ancient South American camelids dated between 3,500 and 2,400 years before the present (Early Formative period) from two archaeological sites in Northern Chile (Tulán-54 and Tulán-85), as well as 66 modern camelid mitogenomes and 815 modern mitochondrial control region sequences from across South America. In addition, we performed osteometric analyses to differentiate big and small body size camelids. A comparative analysis of these data suggests that a substantial proportion of the ancient vicuña genetic variation has been lost since the Early Formative period, as it is not present in modern specimens. Moreover, we propose a domestication hypothesis that includes an ancient guanaco population that no longer exists. Finally, we find evidence that interbreeding practices were widespread during the domestication process by the early camelid herders in the Atacama during the Early Formative period and predating the Spanish conquest.

Psychosocial interventions for adults with newly diagnosed chronic disease: A systematic review

While the need for psychosocial interventions in the early formative period of chronic disease diagnosis is widely acknowledged, little is known about the currently available interventions and what they entail. This review sought to collate existing interventions to synthesize their active ingredients. A systematic search on five electronic databases yielded 2910 records, 12 of which were eligible for this review. Evidence synthesis revealed three broad categories of interventions which used at least two out of eight active techniques. Future studies should adhere to known frameworks for intervention development, and focus on developing core outcome measures to enhance evidence synthesis

Hepatopancreatobiliary Fellowship Graduates: Where do They Stand today?

Background The Americas Hepato-Pancreato-Biliary Association (AHPBA) Education and Training Committee standardized a Hepatopancreatobiliary (HPB) Surgery Fellowship certification process in 2010. Several classes of fellows have since graduated from HPB, combined Society of Surgical Oncology/AHPBA, and combined American Society of Transplant Surgeons/AHPBA fellowships, but there is little information on their career outcomes. We seek to offer long-term data on the careers of HPB fellowship graduates. Methods A 26-question anonymous survey was distributed among graduates of accredited programs for the last 10 years. We generated descriptive statistics from the responses. Results The respondents were evenly distributed in terms of graduation years between 2010 and 2019. Fifty-eight percent of fellows had completed a prior fellowship, 82% received 1 to 3 job offers during the fellowship, and 75% of respondents were still at their first job. The majority of graduates (>60%) were able to secure a job with a >50% HPB practice and >40 HPB cases per year within 3 years of graduation. Overall, >90% candidates rated their satisfaction with fellowship training greater than 8 out of 10. Discussion This survey helps shed light on the early formative years in the practices of HPB fellowship graduates. These data show that HPB fellowship training is essential and effective in providing job security and helps fellowship graduates develop a gratifying practice.

LOWLAND MAYA GENESIS: THE LATE ARCHAIC TO LATE EARLY FORMATIVE TRANSITION IN THE UPPER BELIZE RIVER VALLEY

The transition from the Late Archaic to the Late Early Formative period witnessed profound changes in the Maya lowlands. In addition to the establishment of the first settlements and agrarian communities, this critical phase of cultural development heralded the introduction of ceramics, saw changes in lithic technology, gave rise to inter-regional trade and exchange, and witnessed the introduction of a complex symbolic system expressed on portable objects. In this article, we synthesize data collected over the past several decades by various archaeological projects in western Belize to provide an overview of the cultural changes that unfolded during the Late Archaic to Late Early Formative period in the Upper Belize River Valley. We also provide evidence indicating that it was during this critical transitional period that we begin to see the establishment of several cultural traditions that became uniquely lowland Maya.

Taking wonders to the margins ( Maravillas al Margen )

Translated into English for the first time, this article by film educator and outreach worker Alicia Vega describes her experiences conducting a series of Cinema Workshops in highly disadvantaged communities across Chile, which sought to provide younger children with early, formative understandings of cinema. A rich account of the experience, incorporating a variety of images drawn from the workshops, the article provides an intimate, detailed reflection on a remarkable film education and humanitarian endeavour. It concludes with a series of testimonials from children who participated in the project, as well as from their parents and other participants.