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Commensality (the act of eating together) is studied in a range of disciplines and often considered important for social communion, order, health and well-being, while simultaneously being understood as in decline (especially the family meal). However, such claims are also contested in various ways. In this paper, we discuss the expanding field of commensality research and critically reflect on th
This chapter provides an overview of some historical struggles against domination that are based in ‘radical religious’ communities. Yet what qualifies as ‘religious’ and ‘radical’ is very open to interpretation, and typical interpretations of ‘religion’ in particular often betray a colonial mindset which this chapter seeks to problematise. By presenting a deliberately broad range of examples and
Risk assessments are often performed at multiple system levels in order to inform decision-making; for example, on multiple levels within an organization or on multiple societal levels. One way to conduct risk assessments on the higher system levels is to utilize and aggregate risk information from the lower level assessments. However, the process of aggregating risk information can be highly comp
Critical infrastructure such as transportation, power, telecommunication and water supply systems accommodate and enable flows of essential goods and services that modem societies are highly dependent upon. These critical flows connect countries, organizations and communities, and are imperative for upholding vital societal functions. Disruptions of such flows hold the potential of severe and pote
The sources, extent and margins of parental obligations in taking decisions regarding their children’s medical care are subjects of ongoing debates. Balancing children’s immediate welfare with keeping their future open is a delicate task. In this paper, we briefly present two examples of situations in which parents may be confronted with the choice of whether to authorise or demand non-therapeutic
Many risks addressed in land use planning, such as flooding and accidents involving hazardous materials, have widely different characteristics which makes them difficult to compare. Yet, these risks sometimes need to be considered together in order to support decision-making. Furthermore, risks can sometimes affect each other, which differentiate the land use planning context from situations where
The various problems associated with co-authorship of research articles have attracted much attention in recent years. We believe that this (hopefully) growing awareness is a very welcome development. However, we will argue that the particular and increasing importance of authorship and the harmful implications of current practices of research authorship for junior researchers have not been emphas
In this paper we look at the implications of a prospective emerging technology for the case in favor of, or against, postmenopausal motherhood. Technologies such as in vitro derived gametes (sperm and eggs derived from non-reproductive cells) have the potential to influence the ways in which reproductive medicine is practiced, and will bring new dimensions to debates in this area. We explain what
In this paper we will look at the various ways in which infertility can be understood and at how need for reproductive therapies can be construed. We will do this against the background of research with artificial gametes (AGs). Having explored these questions we will attempt to establish the degree to which technologies such as AGs could expand the array of choices that people have to reproduce a
Several threads of research towards developing artificial gametes are ongoing in a number of research labs worldwide. The development of a technology that could generate gametes in vitro has significant potential for human reproduction, and raises a lot of interest, as evidenced by the frequent and extensive media coverage of research in this area. We have asked researchers involved in work with a
In this paper, we explore the ethical and legal implications of a hypothetical use of artificial gametes (AGs): that of taking a person’s cells, converting them to artificial gametes and using them in reproduction – without that person’s knowledge or consent. We note the common reliance on genetic understandings of parenthood in the law, and suggest that injustices may arise if unwitting genetic p
This book examines, through a multi-disciplinary lens, the possibilities offered by relationships and family forms that challenge the nuclear family ideal, and some of the arguments that recommend or disqualify these as legitimate units in our societies. That children should be conceived naturally, born to and raised by their two young, heterosexual, married to each other, genetic parents; that th
Phase retrieval approaches based on deep learning (DL) provide a framework to obtain phase information from an intensity hologram or diffraction pattern in a robust manner and in real-time. However, current DL architectures applied to the phase problem rely on i) paired datasets, i. e., they are only applicable when a satisfactory solution of the phase problem has been found, and ii) the fact that
Objective: Monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS) is the asymptomatic precursor of multiple myeloma (MM). Lytic bone lesions and fractures are hallmarks of MM and although there are no lytic lesions in MGUS, it has also been associated with fractures. The causes of fractures in MGUS are currently unclear but potential causes include inherent MGUS bone disease, undiagnosed MM, an
