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A Review of What is it Like to be Dead? Near-Death Experiences, Christianity, & the Occult, by Jens Schlieter. Oxford University Press, 2018, Pp. xxxii + 344. $34.95. ISBN 978-0-19-0888848 [...]

In a recent commentary on an essay competition regarding the best evidence for the survival of human consciousness, Keith Augustine prominently criticized the award-winning essay I submitted to this competition. As demonstrated in the present article, Augustine's critique is specious as evidenced by specifically two aspects of it: 1) On multiple occasions, Augustine misrepresented contents of my essay by attributing statements to me I never made and by presenting quotes out of context and contorting their original meaning. Due to Augustine's misrepresentations of my essay's content, it is unavoidable to conclude that his entire commentary is permeated by biased reasoning. 2) Although Augustine caviled at numerous formulations he drew from all over my essay, he did not mention that I singled his work out for profound criticism on numerous pages of my essay. He did not even attempt to counter my critique of his arguments on factual grounds. In conclusion, Augustine's commentary is a good example of a bad contribution to the survival debate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Throughout the history of parapsychology, complaints about a lack of a theory that would explain psi phenomena have regularly been advanced. Indeed, a theory that can explain psi in a manner comparable to robust theories in mainstream sciences does not currently exist. Moreover, the existing parapsychological theories stand largely separate and represent disconnected approaches. In this contribution, I suggest that the situation regarding theories of psi could be improved by developing a synthetic theory that posits specific core assumptions on which existing theories and models of the origins of psi could be integrated. Formulating such a theory that focuses on the communalities and compatibilities of existing models rather than on their differences would increase the coherence of parapsychological theorizing and would therefore benefit parapsychology. In order to show that such an approach has already worked in the past, I also introduce the "evolutionary synthesis" that was developed by biologists about 90 years ago. I furthermore argue that the demand that parapsychologists must develop a theory of psi that complies with contemporary mainstream sciences is principally inappropriate due to the very nature of psi. This is no reason for regret because the exceptional significance of parapsychological research lies in providing direct empirical evidence for a non-physical foundation of existence. In this respect, it holds a leading role in shaping the most accurate science-based model for understanding our world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THE HANDBOOK OF NEAR-DEATH EXPERIENCES by Janice Miner Holden, Bruce Greyson, and Debbie James (Eds.). Santa Barbara, CA: Praeger Publishers, 2009. Pp. xv + 316. $49.95 (hardcover). ISBN 978-0-313-35864-7. The [...]

The present article informs about a case of prolonged scientific dishonesty in the field of parapsychology. It emerged that Alejandro Parra, an active member of the parapsychological community for about three decades, has published substantially plagiarized books and articles since at least 2006. Currently, I am aware of 22 publications that contain plagiarized sections or that consist almost entirely of plagiarism. In the following, I present striking examples of such plagiarized texts and provide background information about the development of this case. Parra even presented research results obtained by others as his own research results, which amounts to data fabrication. Therefore, I conclude one cannot trust any of his books and articles. Even Parra's publications that contain data obtained in surveys or experimental studies must be disregarded by the scientific community unless the validity of their raw data has been very carefully established by examinations performed by others. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During recent years, the scientific interest in the work of Austrian biologist Paul Kammerer (1880-1926) has risen again. This development can largely be attributed to advances in the fields of epigenetics and epigenetic inheritance, and it resulted in provocative discussions. This article contributes to enhancing the knowledge about Kammerer's publications in two respects. First, I provide a brief overview and contextualization of Kammerer's main works on phenotypic plasticity and its inheritance, some of which seem little known at present. Thereafter, to ensure an accurate transmission of the historical record, I comment on recently published suggestive information about what Kammerer did and wrote, chiefly referring to Kammerer's original writings on fire salamanders (Salamandra salamandra) and cave salamanders (Proteus anguinus). Although the exact contents of Kammerer's writings remain controversial and must be regarded with caution, his writings need to be treated objectively and accurately to avoid historical record distortion and to render the performance of adequate replications of his experiments possible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The physiological and psychological underpinnings of near-death experiences (NDEs) are not yet understood. In this article, we show that for "critical" NDEs reported after cardiac arrest, two different neurophysiological models have been proposed that, in the literature so far, have not been adequately distinguished from each other. In the real-time model, it is postulated that during critical NDEs, residual activities in the cerebrum were sufficient to generate NDEs in real time. In the reconstruction model, it is assumed that due to severe oxygen deficiency, critical NDEs could not have occurred at the time in question but were reconstructed later during the regeneration phase of the brain. To assess the plausibility of these two models, we analyzed the phenomenology of the view of one's own body from above (autoscopy) that frequently occurs in the beginning of NDEs. In addition to the available literature, we used original descriptions of autoscopies obtained in an online survey conducted in 2015. We found that the reconstruction model is not supported by empirical findings and that some findings even speak against it. We therefore conclude that future discussions of explanatory models of NDEs should focus primarily on the neurophysiological real-time model and a third alternative according to which autoscopies and NDEs occur in relative independence from the prevailing neurophysiological processes in the brain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Physical mediumship is characterized by the occurrence of phenomena that seem to defy currently prevailing standard theories of physics, such as inexplicable movements of objects (macro-psychokinesis) and the seemingly unexplained materialization of objects, sometimes in closed spaces (apports). Nevertheless, systematic investigations into apport phenomena have barely been performed. The present article introduces one of the few exceptions. The studies were conducted by Elemér Chengery Pap from 1928 to 1938 in Budapest. He summarized his research in a voluminous but little-known Hungarian treatise that ranks among the largest monographs of experimental parapsychology written by a single investigator. His book contains descriptions of some the most spectacular occurrences recorded in physical mediumship. One medium in particular, Lajos Pap, allegedly produced apports that ranged from solid objects, various liquids, snow, plants, ensembles of living insects, craw! sh, to living vertebrates up to the size of a sparrow hawk. After presenting an overview on the book's contents and some of the most remarkable phenomena described therein, I summarize the results of an experimental series performed with Lajos Pap by another Hungarian-born researcher, Nandor Fodor. Drawing from Fodor's and also others' observations, I demonstrate that Chengery Pap's research approach contained remarkable loopholes that devalue his effort to leave a supposedly objective report to posterity. The authenticity of Lajos Pap's phenomena thus remains questionable. Nevertheless, Chengery Pap's extensive treatise remains of historical signi! cance in parapsychology and provides an instructive example highlighting diffculties in studying physical mediums. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction is presented in which the editor discusses various reports within the issue on topics including modern skeptical criticism; and parapsychological research/.

Technological advances in recent decades off er possibilities to study the phenomena of physical mediumship using new approaches of investigation. One new approach is the analyses of supposed "spirit voices" recorded in dark séance rooms during sittings with the alleged physical medium Warren Caylor. These analyses were performed by a professor of applied informatics, Eckhard Kruse. He concluded that the results of his investigations provide evidence, if not proof, demonstrating that these voices are indeed produced by materialized "spirits," and he publicized this interpretation of his work via various dissemination channels. As I will show in this article, however, Kruse's approach to studying these "spirit voices" is loaded with conceptual and methodological deficiencies that ultimately render his claims untenable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This article reviews the scholarly literature dealing with the perennial multipurpose crop Virginia mallow (Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby; Sida in the following). In regions dominated by intensive agricultural management practices, growing Sida holds the potential to combine ecosystem services such as decreasing soil erosion, reducing nitrate leaching as well as enhancing biodiversity, with economic profit for the farmer. After promising biomass yields of Sida were reported from studies performed in Poland about 15 years ago, the interest in this plant species has continuously increased, and different utilization pathways were examined, predominantly by researchers in Poland and Germany. At present, however, a comprehensive overview that summarizes the different lines of research performed regarding the use of Sida is lacking. This review aims at closing this gap. After providing background information on Sida, we summarize the main results obtained from investigations concerning biomass yields, fertilization effects, key findings concerning direct combustion, biogas production, steam gasification, phytoremediation, and alternative utilization pathways. Thereafter, we highlight important aspects of Virginia mallow cultivation practices, including first estimates regarding the costs involved. Finally, we point to existing research gaps. Summarizing the available literature on Sida, we aim at raising the interest of scientists and farmers in this plant species further and to show where future research might tie in with, as the successful cultivation of Sida might represent a worthwhile strategy to transform current agricultural practices in Central Europe into approaches that are more sustainable and resilient against future challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the present issue of this Journal, Stephen Braude summarized the enigmatic case of Brazilian medium Carlos Mirabelli, who, like many other physical mediums, was hailed as an outstanding genuine medium by some and regarded as a complete fraud by others. In this article, I present an overview on two aspects of the Mirabelli mediumship. First, I introduce historical material that relates to the context of the somewhat famous visit of biologist and philosopher Hans Driesch at Mirabelli's in 1928, along with a few comments from my side; and I will then present two apparently littleknown accounts of sittings that Mirabelli held in 1930 and 1935 in New York. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Information about the availability of solar irradiance for crops is of high importance for improving management practices of agricultural ecosystems such as agroforestry systems (AFS). Hence, the development of a high-resolution model that allows for the quantification of tree shading on a diurnal and annual time scale is highly demanded to generate realistic estimations of the shading dynamics in a given AFS. We describe an approach using 3D data derived from a terrestrial laser scanner and the steps undertaken to develop a vector-based model that quantifies and visualizes the shadow cast by single trees at daily, monthly, seasonal or annual levels with the input of cylinder-based tree models. It is able to compute the shadow of given tree models in time intervals of 10 min. To simulate seasonal growth and shedding of leaves, ellipsoids as replacement for leaves can be added to the tips of the tree model's branches. The shadow model is flexible in its input of location (latitude, longitude), tree architecture and temporal resolution. Due to the possibility to feed this model with factual climate data such as cloud covers, it represents the first 3D tree model that enables the user to retrospectively analyze the shadow regime below a given tree, and to quantify shadow-related developments in AFS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among the many phenomena reported from physical mediumship, apport phenomena—i.e. the inexplicable appearance of solid objects—rank among the most curious occurrences. In the present paper, we describe a selection of seeming apport phenomena that were observed around a German medium, Herbert Baumann (1911–1998). Baumann was a close friend of the first author, who thus had the opportunity to receive more than one hundred examples of what he considers to be genuine apports, both during séances and in everyday private life. A peculiarity of numerous seemingly apported precious and semi-precious gems was their being pervaded with a net of tiny cracks that would often render these stones so unstable that they fell apart after being apported. We present considerations regarding these cracks, describe attempts to replicate them, and conclude with a short section about explanatory approaches for apport phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In 2014, I published an article on the Felix Experimental Group, its medium Kai Mügge (KM), and my involvement in following the development of the phenomena reported around KM (Nahm 2014). In that article, I showed convincingly (in my opinion) that KM had cheated in the past, in particular with regard to producing a red "spirit" light with a magician's LED device, and with regard to producing (self-luminous) ectoplasm with the help of Halloween spider web while pretending to be in a trance. Recent developments and publications render it recommendable to summarize a few aspects of the aftermath of that previous publication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The homing ability of animals has fascinated many laymen and scientists for some time. Despite considerable efforts by researchers to elucidate its underpinnings, however, it is still not known exactly how a bird, for example, can determine its longitudinal position on the globe and find its home from an unknown location to which it has been displaced. The same seems valid for terrestrial animals such as dogs. To bring this problem to renewed attention and to stimulate further research into this topic, this paper introduces two largely unknown sources dealing with the homing ability in dogs. Both contain remarkable instances of dogs that repeatedly returned to their homes or keepers from unknown locations. The first source concerns the work of Edwin H. Richardson with messenger dogs in World War I; the second source concerns the systematic homing experiments that Bernhard Muller performed between 1953 and 1962 with 75 dogs. Both authors maintained that the homing success of the dogs could not be explained in terms of the use of their usual senses alone. I go on to review currently available explanatory hypotheses for animal navigation with a focus on bird and mammal homing, and also touch upon orientation abilities in humans. This review shows that there is no consensus among leading experts with regard to the most suited model, and many admit that a conclusive explanation for homing is still lacking. Hence, an additional governing factor such as ESP might well come into play. Drawing on the training methods for dogs applied by Richardson, I suggest testing this hypothesis by training dogs to find their keepers at an unknown location. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A circle for physical mediumship, the Goligher circle, was recently described in an Essay Review by Michael Tymn in this Journal. This Commentary rectifies several errors contained in that Essay Review, and presents supplementary information about selected aspects of the circle as discussed by Tymn. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present paper describes the development and the phenomena of a circle for physical mediumship, based predominantly on my own observations. Over the course of four and a half years, I have participated in 21 sittings. Typical phenomena include unusual movements of a table, raps on the room walls and the ceiling, various luminous and psycho-kinetic phenomena, the generation of supposed ectoplasm, and apports. I will describe the controls applied during the sittings and my personal involvement in accompanying the development of the phenomena, and explain why I finally arrived at the conclusion that considerable parts of the phenomena were produced by fraudulent means. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Terminal lucidity, the unexpected return of mental clarity and memory shortly before the death of patients suffering from severe psychiatric and neurologic disorders, has raised the curiosity of numerous physicians and laypersons in the past. However, this peculiar phenomenon has received little attention in the recent decades. In previous publications, we have presented overviews of cases of terminal lucidity in various neurologic and psychiatric disorders. In this article, we highlight terminal lucidity in persons with mental disabilities, and focus on one of the most remarkable cases that have been reported. We provide biographical background information about the two principal witnesses who reported this case. It concerns the death of Anna Katharina Ehmer, a 26-year-old woman with severe mental disabilities who lived in an institution for people with mental disorders, and who had allegedly never spoken a single word during her life. Yet, she was reported to have sung dying songs for a half hour before she died. The case was reported by the head of this institution and by its chief physician. We consider it difficult to evaluate the authenticity of the case definitively in retrospect. Nevertheless, there are similar cases and a variety of other anomalous brain-related findings we consider worth investigating. Studies into such anomalous cases might improve our concepts of human brain functioning and of mental processing in persons with mental disabilities, and might be of special value for the dying, the bereaved, and caretakers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We have reviewed the medical literature on unusually rapid Canities of body hair to assess whether the reported clinical evidence can be explained with the current hypotheses of pathogenetic mechanisms. We screened the medical literature from 1800 onward, searching for as many case reports as possible. We assessed literature in Dutch, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish and included all cases, which contained an explicit mention or description of unusually rapid graying or whitening of hair. Case reports were classified into three categories: Cases are "authenticated" when the authors personally observed the rapid color change, "non-authenticated" when they saw the subject only after the alleged color change and "anecdotal" when authors were told about the case by a third party. In total, we found 196 cases of which 44 were authenticated. These studies reported the graying of human hair in the context of aging, somatic diseases, emotional trauma or stress and psychiatric disorders. Numerous cases involved not only scalp hair, but also beards, eyelashes and other body hair. Several authors stressed that there was no alopecia. Although plausible explanations exist to explain Canities subita occurring together with an effluvium, the observation of viable hair losing color along the axis within a timespan shorter than its growth rate remain as yet unexplained. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this note is to dispel the notion that ideas of human agency to account for the veridical mental phenomena of medi-ums began with persons associated with the Society for Psychical Research (SPR) in England, or with certain later individuals. In fact, the appearance of these ideas preceded the founding of the Society in 1882. Examples of ear-lier writers who discussed these ideas include Carl Gustav Carus, Edward W. Cox, Justinus Kerner, Asa Mahan, André-Saturnin Morin, Maximilian Perty, B. W. Richmond, and Edward C. Rogers. In contrast to the speculation by later SPR authors and others, the concepts that appeared in the old literature often involved belief in physical forces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has recently been an increased interest in end-of-life experiences (ELEs) in humans, but ELEs in non-human animals have not yet been assessed. In this paper, we present findings from a study we performed to collect and analyze reports about remarkable behavioral aspects of animals during their last phase of life. After public appeals in which we asked for reports about ELEs in animals, we received numerous responses from pet owners. We were able to group these experiences into specific categories, which we termed the last goodbyes, last visits, last rally, retreating into solitude, unusual premonitions of death, somatic surprises, terminal lucidity in animals, and potential near-death visions in animals. We present 43 case reports pertaining to these different categories. Many of them show striking similarities to remarkable behavior reported by dying people. This similarity between animal and human ELEs might be a sign of a common physiology underpinning such experiences and could also increase the recognition that animals share an inner life similar to that of humans during all phases of life. This could lead to a more respectful treatment of pets, as well as of animals in farms, zoos, and in the wild. However, as our study was of a preliminary character and only the first of its kind, we encourage further systematic research in this field. In the Supplementary Material, we publish 71 additional cases for those who would like to study more examples. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Karl Ludwig von Reichenbach was a well-known and controversial personality In the 19th century. The controversies largely centered on his theories concerning a universal and all-permeating force he claimed to have discovered--the "Od." In this article, I highlight important events In von Reichenbach's life and his explorations into the frontiers of science. Subsequently, I present an overview on lines of experimentation that have addressed two of his propositions, namely (a) that the effects of Od can be directly detected by macroscopic movements of objects such as compass needles, and (b) that (electro-)magnets can be detected visually in the dark due to the emission of odiight. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The unexpected return of mental clarity and memory shortly before death in patients suffering from severe psychiatric and neurologic disorders, which we have called “terminal lucidity”, has been reported in the medical literature over the past 250 years, but has received little attention. We review a range of terminal lucidity cases in order to encourage investigation of the mechanisms involved and possible insights into both the neuroscience of memory and cognition at the end of life and treatment of terminal illness. These examples include case reports of patients suffering from brain abscesses, tumors, strokes, meningitis, dementia or Alzheimer''s disease, schizophrenia, and affective disorders. Several of these accounts suggest that during terminal lucidity, memory and cognitive abilities may function by neurologic processes different from those of the normal brain. We expect that significant contributions to better understanding the processes involved in memory and cognition processing might be gained through in-depth studies of terminal lucidity. Studying terminal lucidity might also facilitate the development of novel therapies. In addition, increased awareness of unusual end-of-life experiences could help physicians, caregivers, and bereaved family members be prepared for encountering such experiences, and help those individuals cope with them. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Near-death experiences (NDEs) constitute a particular type of experience that occurs in near-death states and is familiar to many. Yet, there are other kinds of lesser-known experiences reported from near-death states that appear to form an interconnected continuum with NDEs. Because the relations between these different experiences have not received much attention in the more recent literature, this paper presents an introductory overview on them. The topics discussed include cases of unexplained body changes during near-death states, reciprocally confirmed out-of-body experiences and crisis apparitions, deathbed visions, (shared) NDEs and (shared) dreams, correspondences between the contents of NDEs, cases of the reincarnation type, and communications received via mediums; mists or shapes leaving the body of the dying, unexplained music heard at deathbeds, the re-emergence of mental clarity shortly before death in persons with mental disorders, and unusual memories of little children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Last year, this Journal (JSE 24(1), Spring 2010) contained a Commentary in which Jurgen Keil proposed an explanatory model for cases of the reincarnation type (CORTs), suggesting that most and perhaps all CORTs can better be fitted into a framework of psi without the reincarnation or survival hypothesis. We present several features that should be considered in more detail before the pretension to explain all CORTs with the hypothesis outlined by Keil can be regarded as justified. Among others, such features include possible modes of how memories of a previous life might be selected and dramatized into ostensible personal memories of children, departure dreams, CORTs announced via mediumistic communications, cases of the possession type, ostensible memories of intermission periods between the two lives in question, CORTs which involve twins, maternal impressions, crisis apparitions, and the argument of cumulative force. Furthermore, we add comments on possible relations of CORTs with the Lamarckian theory of evolution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Excerpts from an article by Hereward Carrington, entitled "Vital Energy and Psychical Phenomena", and published in 1921 in the Psychic Research Quarterly, are reprinted. The article is discussed in the context of previous and later publications on `vital forces'. Carrington argued that metabolic processes, and life itself, were produced by a vital force that did not depend on the body for its production: this force could be projected from the body and cause physical phenomena, such as movement of objects and materializations. Carrington continued to speculate along similar lines in later years. While his views are in some ways inconsistent with the non-physical ideas developed by later parapsychologists such as J. B. Rhine, they remain a valuable window to past aspects of parapsychological theory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the dying and afterlife concepts as described in "The Tibetan Book of the Dead," and associated doctrine. As stated, the dying process starts with the loss of the bodily senses in a defined sequence which is different from the sequence described in the contemporary literature. It states that there is a contradiction in stating that the postmortem bardo state is an entirely subjective production of the deceased.

In recent decades, the Tibetan Book of the Dead (TBD) has attracted' much attention from Westerners interested in Eastern spirituality and has been discussed in the literature on dying and near-death experiences- However, the history of the TBD has practically been ignored in that literature up to now. This history has been elaborated in detail by Tibetologist Bryan Cuevas (2003). To bring this history to the attention of scholars in the field of near-death studies, I present in this paper a summary of the TBD's development based primarily on the work of Cuevas (2003). The summary shows that the TBD was gradually elaborated within a specific Tibetan Buddhist context, the Dzokchen tradition. In comparing features of first-hand reports of the death and dying process as reported in the TBD with those reported in four other categories-Tibetan ddlok, near-death experiencers, mediums, and children who remember previous lives- I find that some features are consistent but that other key features are not. Be- cause it seems likely that inconsistent features of the TBD reflect idiosyncratic dying and afterlife concepts of the Dzokchen tradition, scholars in the field of near-death studies and others should be careful about adopting the contents of the TBD without question. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Among other authors, Joel Ibrahim Kreps (2009) has recently published accounts of Muslim near-death experiences (NDEs). With the present paper, we aim to contribute to the growing number of non-Western NDE reports by providing summaries of eight additional Muslim NDEs, seven translated from the original Italian source (Giovetti, 2007) and one from an English source (Lerma, 2009), and to provide references for further reading. In addition, we highlight noteworthy features of these eight summarized NDE accounts. Although the documentation standard of the available cases is generally low, these accounts indicate that the structure and contents of NDEs from many non-Western Muslim communities are largely similar to those reported in the Western NDE literature. In his report, Kreps concluded that Muslim NDEs are rare and that Muslims have fewer NDEs than do non-Muslim Westerners and non-Muslim non-Westerners such as the Chinese. However, we found that the number of Muslim NDE accounts available today seems to indicate that Muslim NDEs are not as rare as Kreps concluded. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to an article by W. T. Stead in the July 2009 issue on his experiences with automatic writing about living agents touched upon a field of study within parapsychology and psychology.

A letter to the editor is presented discussing the topic of animal homing, animal's psychic abilities, and behavior of animals prior to natural catastrophes like the earthquake.

The literature concerned with experiences of the dying contains numerous accounts reporting the sudden return of mental clarity shortly before death. These experiences can be described as Terminal Lucidity (TL). The most peculiar cases concern patients suffering from mental disability including mental illness or dementia. Despite the potential relevance of TL for developing new forms of therapies and for elaborating an improved understanding of the nature of human consciousness, very little has been published on this subject. In this paper I present a historical overview and selected case reports of TL of mentally ill or otherwise disabled patients, mainly drawing on the literature available in English and in German. Possible explanatory models of TL and their implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, I present four apparent near-death experiences (NDEs) reported in Roman times. Despite their uncertain reliability, they contain features deserving attention. Three reports involve taking the wrong person to the realm of death by mistake ("mistake cases"), and even include the claim that the correct person had died after the NDEr revived ("correction cases"). Though common in Asia, such cases are absent in contemporary Western NDE reports. The fourth report contains an alleged correct future prediction and xenoglossy, the latter being a novum to NDE research. After introducing the four cases, I discuss their peculiar features and some related aspects of near-death states with a focus on their relevance for future NDE research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Due to its wide European distribution and its drought-susceptibility, beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) received intensive attention recently in the light of global warming. Contrary to central European beech ecosystems, little is known about the ecophysiology of beech at its south-eastern European distribution limit. Here we tested whether climatic fluctuations during a three-year period affected the ecophysiology of a beech site in Greece. Attention was paid at comparing our findings to the intense effects the 2003 extreme drought had on beech forests in central Europe. We assessed the interannual and seasonal variation of certain physiological parameters in a beech stand of north-western Greece during three consecutive growing seasons of the period 2003–2005. Leaf water potential and effective quantum yield of PSII were measured as well-known indicators of plant''s responses to environmental stresses. Furthermore, plant carbon isotopic composition (δ13C) of tissues and extracts with different turnover times was determined, since it can reveal short- or long-term environmental effects on the water and carbon balance of the plant. Moreover, a number of micrometeorological parameters were measured and their effect on ecophysiological responses was tested. Precipitation of 2003 at the study site was comparable to that in central Europe, but it did not differ from the local range of precipitation in NW-Greece. Still, 2003 was more xeric, compared to 2004 and 2005. Despite this, leaf water potential, effective quantum yield and δ18O showed no significant variation between years and their values were not indicative of plants suffering from drought stress. Foliar δ13C, on the other hand, appeared to be more sensitive to the climatic differences between the years and it was higher during the more xeric 2003 compared to later on. Regression analysis revealed that its response was largely controlled by current soil water content and vapour pressure deficit of the preceding month. Regarding δ13C of phloem from both twigs and trunk, their patterns were influenced only by short-term changes in air vapour pressure deficit. Within the climatic range recorded in this study, which is typical for beech ecosystems in Greece, no substantial drought-driven limitations were observed on beech ecophysiology. Our observations contradict those from central European beech sites, rarely subjected to drought, where similarly low water availability had a great impact on the ecophysiology of beech. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current global temperature increases resulting from human activity threaten many ecosystems and societies, and have led to international and national policy commitments that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Bioenergy crops provide one means of reducing greenhouse gas emissions from energy production and two novel crops that could be used for this purpose are Sida hermaphrodita (L.) Rusby and Silphium perfoliatum L. This research examined the existing scientific literature available on both crops through a systematic review. The data were collated according to the agronomy, uses, and environmental benefits of each crop. Possible challenges were associated with high initial planting costs, low yields in low rainfall areas, and for Sida hermaphrodita, vulnerability to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. However, under appropriate environmental conditions, both crops were found to provide large yields over sustained periods of time with relatively low levels of management and could be used to produce large energy surpluses, either through direct combustion or biogas production. Other potential uses included fodder, fibre, and pharmaceutical uses. Environmental benefits included the potential for phytoremediation, and improvements to soil health, biodiversity, and pollination. The review also demonstrated that environmental benefits, such as pollination, soil health, and water quality benefits could be obtained from the use of Sida hermaphrodita and Silphium perfoliatum relative to existing bioenergy crops such as maize, whilst at the same time reducing the greenhouse gas emissions associated with energy production. Future research should examine the long-term implications of using Sida hermaphrodita and Silphium perfoliatum as well as improve knowledge on how to integrate them successfully within existing farming systems and supply chains. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In an earlier study, Rupert Sheldrake, Pam Smart, and Michael Nahm reviewed accounts of end-of-life experiences (ELEs) involving non-human animals. They showed animal ELEs to be similar to human ELEs, suggesting common underlying processes. Here, we consider apparent after-death communications (ADCs) from non-human animals and compare them to accounts of ADCs from humans. We collected 442 accounts of animal ADCs from our own appeals and from reports in the literature. We found a close resemblance between ADCs from animals and from humans in the types of experience--dream visitations, a sense of presence, visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory apparitions, and psychokinetic effects. As with human ADCs, the great majority of animal ADCs were reported to have occurred in the first hours or days after death, with a dramatic falling off over time. Moreover, our data show that people grieve their pets in much the same fashion as they grieve their human loved ones, suggesting that human bereavement studies would do well to take into account the animal data to which we draw attention. Doing so may help clarify issues regarding the fundamental nature of the experiences--determining whether they are best regarded as internal hallucinations, as living-agent-psi-mediated subjective or objective phenomena, or as actual contacts with the deceased--which in turn carries implications not only for academic studies of bereavement but for clinical practice with the bereaved. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, we present the results of a literature survey on case reports of the unexpected return of mental clarity and memory shortly before death, which we have called "terminal lucidity." We focus specifically on terminal lucidity in mental disorders, of which we have found 81 case references. Of these, we were able to retrieve 49 case reports, most of which had been recorded before 1849. Thereafter, comparatively few reports of terminal lucidity have been published. Some more recent publications referred to terminal lucidity in patients suffering from schizophrenia and dementia. We draw parallels and distinctions between terminal lucidity and remissions attributable to febrile illness in neurosyphilis. We recommend in-depth studies on the psychopathology and neuropathology involved in terminal lucidity, since they might enable the development of both improved therapies and a better understanding of unresolved aspects of cognition and memory processing.