bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease in Relation to Diabetes: A Population-Based Cohort Study
Authors: Wang Kai-Chen , Woung Lin-Chung , Tsai Ming-Tsu , Liu Chih-Ching , Su Ying-Hwa , Li Chung-Yi
Published: May 2012

Background/Aims: Detailed information on the age- and sex-specific relationships between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is scarce. This study aims to prospectively investigate the age- and sex-specific incidence density and relative hazards of AD in relation to diabetes. Methods: A total of 615,529 diabetic patients and 614,871 age- and sex-matched random controls were linked to the claim data from 2000–2008 to identify the first occurrence of a primary or secondary diagnosis of AD. Incidence density was calculated under the Poisson assumption. We also assessed the age- and sex-specific risk of AD in relation to diabetes with the Cox proportional hazards regression model. Results: Over nearly 9 years of follow-up, a total of 4,615 diabetic subjects developed AD, representing a cumulative incidence rate of 0.75% (n = 3,873; 0.63% in controls). The overall incidence densities of AD for diabetic men and women, respectively, were 0.82 and 1.15 per 1,000 person-years, which were higher than those for control men and women (0.63 and 0.89 per 1,000 person-years, respectively). Diabetic patients had a significantly higher hazard ratio (HR) of AD [1.45, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.38–1.52]. Diabetic women ≥65 years had a higher HR (1.52, 95% CI 1.42–1.62) than diabetic women <65 years (1.34, 95% CI 1.15–1.56). Conclusion: Diabetes may increase the risk of AD in both sexes and in all ages. A higher HR of AD was especially notable in older diabetic women.
Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Genotype Impacts the Prenatal Cocaine-Induced Mouse Phenotype
Authors: Kabir Zeeba D. , Lourenco Frederico , Byrne Maureen E. , Katzman Aaron , Lee Francis , Rajadhyaksha Anjali M. , Kosofsky Barry E.
Published: May 2012

Prenatal cocaine exposure leads to persistent alterations in the growth factor brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), particularly in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) and hippocampus, brain regions important in cognitive functioning. BDNF plays an important role in the strengthening of existing synaptic connections as well as in the formation of new contacts during learning. A single nucleotide polymorphism in the BDNF gene (Val66Met), leading to a Met substitution for Val at codon 66 in the prodomain, is common in human populations, with an allele frequency of 20–30% in Caucasians. To study the interaction between prenatal cocaine exposure and BDNF, we have utilized a line of BDNF Val66Met transgenic mice on a Swiss Webster background in which BDNFMet is endogenously expressed. Examination of baseline levels of mature BDNF protein in the mPFC of prenatally cocaine-treated wild-type (Val66Val) and Val66Met mice revealed significantly lower levels compared to prenatally saline-treated mice. In contrast, in the hippocampus of prenatally saline- and cocaine-treated adult Val66Met mice, there were significantly lower levels of mature BDNF protein compared to Val66Val mice. In extinction of a conditioned fear, we found that prenatally cocaine-treated Val66Met mice had a deficit in recall of extinction. Examination of mature BDNF protein levels immediately after the test for extinction recall revealed lower levels in the mPFC of prenatally cocaine-treated Val66Met mice compared to saline-treated mice. However, 2 h after the extinction test, there was increased BDNF exons I, IV, and IX mRNA expression in the prelimbic cortex of the mPFC in the prenatally cocaine-treated BDNF Val66Met mice compared to prenatally saline-treated mice. Taken together, our results suggest the possibility that prenatal cocaine-induced constitutive alterations in BDNF mRNA and protein expression in the mPFC differentially poises animals for alterations in behaviorally induced gene activation, which are interactive with BDNF genotype and differentially impact those behaviors. Such findings in our prenatal cocaine mouse model suggest a gene X environment interaction of potential clinical relevance.
Relations between Plasma von Willebrand Factor or Endothelin-1 and Restenosis following Carotid Artery Stenting
Authors: Yang Hua , Xu Jian-Xin , Kong Xiang-Zhi , Ren Zeng-Guang , Xia Zhang-Yong , Qu Huai-Qian , Wang Le-Xin
Published: May 2012

Objective: This study was designed to investigate the relation between plasma von Willebrand factor (VWF) or endothelin-1 (ET-1) and post-carotid artery stenting (CAS) restenosis. Materials andMethods: Plasma levels of VWF and ET-1 were measured in 61 patients (36 males, mean age 64.4 ± 6.8 years) before and after CAS. The mean follow-up time was 13.8 ± 1.7 months (range, 6–63). In-stent restenosis was defined as a >10% narrowing of the vascular lumen with or without ischemic symptoms following CAS. Results: In-stent restenosis was identified in 14 (23%) patients, including 3 with >50% restenosis. In the restenosis group, mean VWF and ET-1 levels at 2 weeks, 1 and 6 months after CAS were higher than the baseline levels (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Mean levels of VWF and ET-1 in the restenosis group were higher than in the non-restenosis group within 6 months after CAS (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). Conclusion: Persistent elevation in plasma VWF and ET-1 within the first 6 months of CAS was found in patients with in-stent restenosis.
Ventricular Width and Complicated Recovery following Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery
Authors: Bourne Sarah K. , Conrad Andrew , Konrad Peter E. , Neimat Joseph S. , Davis Thomas L.
Published: May 2012

Background: Candidates for deep brain stimulation (DBS) must be carefully evaluated to balance expected benefits with the possibility of serious complications. Several predictive factors exist but are imperfect. Objectives: The aim of this study was to determine whether linear measurements of the lateral ventricles predict complications following DBS. Methods: We retrospectively studied a cohort of DBS patients. The primary outcome was postoperative confusion; secondary outcomes were discharge disposition and all in-hospital complications. For each case, a control matched for age, sex, diagnosis, and DBS target was identified. Linear measurements were made from routine preoperative axial MRIs for both cases and controls. Results: A total of 40 patients met one or more of the end points. Patients with postoperative confusion had a significantly larger minimum width of the lateral ventricles than controls. Patients discharged to a higher level of care and those with any complications also had significantly greater maximum and minimum ventricular widths than controls. Conclusions: These results suggest that preoperative measurement of the maximum and minimum width of the lateral ventricles may help predict which patients are at risk for complicated recoveries following DBS.
Cognitive and Neuropsychiatric Symptom Differences in Early Stages of Alzheimer’s Disease: Kuopio ALSOVA Study
Authors: Hallikainen Ilona , Koivisto Anne M. , Paajanen Teemu , Hiltunen Asta , Karppi Pertti , Vanhanen Matti , Välimäki Tarja , Herukka Sanna-Kaisa , Soininen Hilkka , Hänninen Tuomo
Published: May 2012

Background/Aim: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) causes impairment in memory and other cognitive functions as well as neuropsychiatric symptoms and limitations in the activities of daily living (ADL). The aim of this study was to examine whether demographic variables, dementia severity, ADL and neuropsychiatric symptoms are associated with cognition in very mild or mild AD. Methods: We analyzed the baseline data of 236 patients with very mild or mild AD participating in a prospective AD follow-up study (ALSOVA). The Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer’s Disease neuropsychological battery total score was used in the evaluation of the global cognitive performance. Results: Cognition was associated with dementia severity and ADL but not with neuropsychiatric symptoms. ADL functions were associated with both cognitive performance and neuropsychiatric symptoms. Conclusion: Even patients with very mild or mild AD may exhibit neuropsychiatric symptoms not related to cognitive impairment. The results of this study emphasize the importance of taking a multidimensional approach to the diagnostic and prognostic evaluation of AD patients already in the early stages of the disease.
Role of Activating
Fc
γ
R
Gene Polymorphisms in Kawasaki Disease Susceptibility and Intravenous Immunoglobulin Response
Authors: Shrestha Sadeep , Wiener Howard , Shendre Aditi , Kaslow Richard A. , Wu Jianming , Olson Aaron , Bowles Neil E. , Patel Hitendra , Edberg Jeffrey C. , Portman Michael A.
Published: May 2012

Background—

A functional polymorphism in the inhibitory IgG-Fc receptor gene
Fc
γ
RIIB
influences intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) response in Kawasaki disease (KD), a vasculitis preferentially affecting the coronary arteries in children. We tested the hypothesis that the polymorphisms in the activating receptors (
Fc
γ
RIIA
,
Fc
γ
RIIIA
, and
Fc
γ
RIIIB
) also influence susceptibility, IVIG treatment response, and coronary artery disease in patients with KD.

Methods and Results—

We genotyped polymorphisms in the activating
Fc
γ
RIIA
,
Fc
γ
RIIIA
, and
Fc
γ
RIIIB
using pyrosequencing in 443 patients with KD, including 266 trios and 150 single parent-child pairs, in northwest United States and genetically determined race with 155 ancestry informative markers. We used family-based association to test for transmission disequilibrium and further generated pseudosibling controls for comparisons with the cases. The
Fc
γ
RIIA-131H
variant showed an association with KD (
P
=0.001) with an additive odds ratio (OR) of 1.51 (95% CI, 1.16–1.96;
P
=0.002) for the primary combined population, which persisted in both white (
P
=0.04) and Asian (
P
=0.01) subgroups and is consistent with the recent genome-wide association study. We also identified overtransmission of the
Fc
γ
RIIIB
neutrophil antigen 1 (NA1) variant among IVIG nonresponders (
P
=0.0002) and specifically to white IVIG nonresponders (
P
=0.007). ORs for overall and white nonresponders were 3.67 (95% CI, 1.75–7.66;
P
=0.0006) and 3.60 (95% CI, 1.34–9.70;
P
=0.01), respectively. Excess NA1 transmission also occurred in patients with KD with coronary artery disease (OR
additive
, 2.13; 95% CI, 1.11–4.0;
P
=0.02).

Conclusions—

A common variation in
Fc
γ
RIIA
is associated with increased KD susceptibility. The
Fc
γ
RIIIB-NA1
variant, which confers higher affinity for IgG than the NA2 variant, is a determining factor for treatment response. These activating
Fc
γ
R
s play an important role in KD pathogenesis and the IVIG antiinflammatory mechanism.
Early Stem Cell Engraftment Predicts Late Cardiac Functional Recovery
Authors: Liu Junwei , Narsinh Kazim H. , Lan Feng , Wang Li , Nguyen Patricia K. , Hu Shijun , Lee Andrew , Han Leng , Gong Yongquan , Huang Mei , Nag Divya , Rosenberg Jarrett , Chouldechova Alexandra , Robbins Robert C. , Wu Joseph C.
Published: May 2012

Background—

Human cardiac progenitor cells have demonstrated great potential for myocardial repair in small and large animals, but robust methods for longitudinal assessment of their engraftment in humans is not yet readily available. In this study, we sought to optimize and evaluate the use of positron emission tomography (PET) reporter gene imaging for monitoring human cardiac progenitor cell (hCPC) transplantation in a mouse model of myocardial infarction.

Methods and Results—

hCPCs were isolated and expanded from human myocardial samples and stably transduced with herpes simplex virus thymidine kinase (TK) PET reporter gene. Thymidine kinase-expressing hCPCs were characterized in vitro and transplanted into murine myocardial infarction models (n=57). Cardiac echocardiographic, magnetic resonance imaging and pressure-volume loop analyses revealed improvement in left ventricular contractile function 2 weeks after transplant (hCPC versus phosphate-buffered saline,
P
<0.03). Noninvasive PET imaging was used to track hCPC fate over a 4-week time period, demonstrating a substantial decline in surviving cells. Importantly, early cell engraftment as assessed by PET was found to predict subsequent functional improvement, implying a “dose–effect” relationship. We isolated the transplanted cells from recipient myocardium by laser capture microdissection for in vivo transcriptome analysis. Our results provide direct evidence that hCPCs augment cardiac function after their transplantation into ischemic myocardium through paracrine secretion of growth factors.

Conclusions—

PET reporter gene imaging can provide important diagnostic and prognostic information regarding the ultimate success of hCPC treatment for myocardial infarction.
Pacemaker Therapy in Patients With Neurally Mediated Syncope and Documented Asystole
Authors: Brignole Michele , Menozzi Carlo , Moya Angel , Andresen Dietrich , Blanc Jean Jacques , Krahn Andrew D. , Wieling Wouter , Beiras Xulio , Deharo Jean Claude , Russo Vitantonio , Tomaino Marco , Sutton Richard
Published: May 2012

Background—

The efficacy of cardiac pacing for prevention of syncopal recurrences in patients with neurally mediated syncope is controversial. We wanted to determine whether pacing therapy reduces syncopal recurrences in patients with severe asystolic neurally mediated syncope.

Methods and Results—

Double-blind, randomized placebo-controlled study conducted in 29 centers in the Third International Study on Syncope of Uncertain Etiology (ISSUE-3) trial. Patients were ≥40 years, had experienced ≥3 syncopal episodes in the previous 2 years. Initially, 511 patients, received an implantable loop recorder; 89 of these had documentation of syncope with ≥3 s asystole or ≥6 s asystole without syncope within 12±10 months and met criteria for pacemaker implantation; 77 of 89 patients were randomly assigned to dual-chamber pacing with rate drop response or to sensing only. The data were analyzed on intention-to-treat principle. There was syncope recurrence during follow-up in 27 patients, 19 of whom had been assigned to pacemaker OFF and 8 to pacemaker ON. The 2-year estimated syncope recurrence rate was 57% (95% CI, 40–74) with pacemaker OFF and 25% (95% CI, 13–45) with pacemaker ON (log rank:
P
=0.039 at the threshold of statistical significance of 0.04). The risk of recurrence was reduced by 57% (95% CI, 4–81). Five patients had procedural complications: lead dislodgment in 4 requiring correction and subclavian vein thrombosis in 1 patient.

Conclusions—

Dual-chamber permanent pacing is effective in reducing recurrence of syncope in patients ≥40 years with severe asystolic neurally mediated syncope. The observed 32% absolute and 57% relative reduction in syncope recurrence support this invasive treatment for the relatively benign neurally mediated syncope.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00359203.
Residential Proximity to Major Roadway and 10-Year All-Cause Mortality After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Rosenbloom Joshua I. , Wilker Elissa H. , Mukamal Kenneth J. , Schwartz Joel , Mittleman Murray A.
Published: May 2012

Background—

The relationship between residential proximity to roadway and long-term survival after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is unknown. We investigated the association between distance from residence and major roadway and 10-year all-cause mortality after AMI in the Determinants of Myocardial Infarction Onset Study (Onset Study), hypothesizing that living closer to a major roadway at the time of AMI would be associated with increased risk of mortality.

Methods and Results—

The Onset Study enrolled 3886 individuals hospitalized for AMI in 64 centers across the United States from 1989 to 1996. Institutionalized patients, those providing only post office boxes, and those whose addresses could not be geocoded were excluded, leaving 3547 patients eligible for analysis. Addresses were geocoded, and distance to the nearest major roadway was assigned. Cox regression was used to calculate hazard ratios, with adjustment for personal characteristics (age, sex, race, education, marital status, distance to nearest acute care hospital), clinical characteristics (smoking, body mass index, comorbidities, medications), and neighborhood-level characteristics derived from US Census block group data (household income, education, urbanicity). There were 1071 deaths after 10 years of follow-up. In the fully adjusted model, compared with living >1000 m, hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) for living ≤100 m were 1.27 (1.01–1.60), for 100 to ≤200 m were 1.19 (0.93–1.60), and for 200 to ≤1000 m were 1.13 (0.99–1.30) (
P
trend
=0.016).

Conclusions—

In this multicenter study, living close to a major roadway at the time of AMI was associated with increased risk of all-cause 10-year mortality; this relationship persisted after adjustment for individual and neighborhood-level covariates.
Genomic Association Analysis Identifies Multiple Loci Influencing Antihypertensive Response to an Angiotensin II Receptor Blocker
Authors: Turner Stephen T. , Bailey Kent R. , Schwartz Gary L. , Chapman Arlene B. , Chai High Seng , Boerwinkle Eric
Published: May 2012

To identify genes influencing blood pressure response to an angiotensin II receptor blocker, single nucleotide polymorphisms identified by genome-wide association analysis of the response to candesartan were validated by opposite direction associations with the response to a thiazide diuretic, hydrochlorothiazide. We sampled 198 white and 193 blacks with primary hypertension from opposite tertiles of the race-sex–specific distributions of age-adjusted diastolic blood pressure response to candesartan. There were 285 polymorphisms associated with the response to candesartan at
P
<10
−4
in whites. A total of 273 of the 285 polymorphisms, which were available for analysis in a separate sample of 196 whites, validated for opposite direction associations with the response to hydrochlorothiazide (Fisher χ
2
1-sided
P
=0.02). Among the 273 polymorphisms, those in the chromosome 11q21 region were the most significantly associated with response to candesartan in whites (eg, rs11020821 near
FUT4
,
P
=8.98×10
−7
), had the strongest opposite direction associations with response to hydrochlorothiazide (eg, rs3758785 in
GPR83
,
P
=7.10×10
−3
), and had the same direction associations with response to candesartan in the 193 blacks (eg, rs16924603 near
FUT4
,
P
=1.52×10
−2
). Also notable among the 273 polymorphisms was rs11649420 on chromosome 16 in the amiloride-sensitive sodium channel subunit
SCNN1G
involved in mediating renal sodium reabsorption and maintaining blood pressure when the renin-angiotensin system is inhibited by candesartan. These results support the use of genomewide association analyses to identify novel genes predictive of opposite direction associations with blood pressure responses to inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin and renal sodium transport systems.
Pulsatile Atheroprone Shear Stress Affects the Expression of Transient Receptor Potential Channels in Human Endothelial Cells
Authors: Thilo Florian , Vorderwülbecke Bernd J. , Marki Alex , Krueger Katharina , Liu Ying , Baumunk Daniel , Zakrzewicz Andreas , Tepel Martin
Published: May 2012

The goal of the study was to assess whether pulsatile atheroprone shear stress modulates the expression of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, TRPC3, TRPC6, TRPM7, and TRPV1 mRNA, in human umbilical vascular endothelial cells. Exposure of cultured vascular endothelial cells to defined shear stress, producing a constant laminar flow (generating a shear stress of 6 dyne/cm
2
), laminar pulsatile atheroprotective flow (with a mean shear stress of 20 dyne/cm
2
), or laminar atheroprone bidirectional flow (with a mean shear stress of 0 dyne/cm
2
) differentially induced TRPC6 and TRPV1 mRNA as measured by quantitative real-time RT-PCR and normalized to GAPDH expression. Thereby, TRPC6 and TRPV1 mRNA expressions were significantly increased after 24 hours of exposure to an atheroprone flow profile compared with an atheroprotective flow profile. Furthermore, the expression of transcription factors GATA1 and GATA4 was significantly correlated with the expression of TRPC6 mRNA. In contrast, after 24 hours of constant laminar flow, the expression of TRPC6 and TRPV1 mRNA was unchanged, whereas the expression of TRPC3 and TRPM7 was significantly higher in endothelial cells exposed to shear stress in comparison with endothelial cells grown under static conditions. There was a significant association between the expression of TRPC6 and tumor necrosis factor-α mRNA in human vascular tissue. No-flow and atheroprone flow conditions are equally characterized by an increase in the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α; however, inflammation-associated endothelial cell reactions may be further aggravated at atheroprone flow conditions by the increase of TRPV1 and TRPC6, as observed in our study.
Initial Monotherapy and Combination Therapy and Hypertension Control the First Year
Authors: Egan Brent M. , Bandyopadhyay Dipankar , Shaftman Stephanie R. , Wagner C. Shaun , Zhao Yumin , Yu-Isenberg Kristina S.
Published: May 2012

Initial antihypertensive therapy with single-pill combinations produced more rapid blood pressure control than initial monotherapy in clinical trials. Other studies reported better cardiovascular outcomes in patients achieving lower blood pressure during the first treatment year. We assessed the effectiveness of initial antihypertensive monotherapy, free combinations, and single-pill combinations in controlling untreated, uncontrolled hypertensives during their first treatment year. Electronic record data were obtained from 180 practice sites; 106 621 hypertensive patients seen from January 2004 to June 2009 had uncontrolled blood pressure, were untreated for ≥6 months before therapy, and had ≥1 one-year follow-up blood pressure data. Control was determined by the first follow-up visit with blood pressure <140/<90 mm Hg for patients without diabetes mellitus or chronic kidney disease and <130/<80 mm Hg for patients with either or both conditions. Multivariable hazards regression ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs for time to control were calculated, adjusting for age, sex, baseline blood pressure, body mass index, diabetes mellitus, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, initial therapy, final blood pressure medication number, and therapeutic inertia. Patients on initial single-pill combinations (N=9194) were more likely to have stage 2 hypertension than those on free combinations (N=18 328) or monotherapy (N=79 099; all
P
<0.001). Initial therapy with single-pill combinations (HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.47–1.58]) provided better hypertension control in the first year than free combinations (HR, 1.34; [95% CI, 1.31–1.37]) or monotherapy (reference) with benefits in black and white patients. Greater use of single-pill combinations as initial therapy may improve hypertension control and cardiovascular outcomes in the first treatment year.
Evolution by Adapting Surrogates
Authors: Le Minh Nghia , Ong Yew Soon , Menzel Stefan , Jin Yaochu , Sendhoff Bernhard
Published: May 2012

To deal with complex optimization problems plagued with computationally expensive fitness functions, the use of surrogates to replace the original functions within the evolutionary framework is becoming a common practice. However, the appropriate datacentric approximation methodology to use for the construction of surrogate model would depend largely on the nature of the problem of interest, which varies from fitness landscape and state of the evolutionary search, to the characteristics of search algorithm used. This has given rise to the plethora of surrogate-assisted evolutionary frameworks proposed in the literature with ad hoc approximation/surrogate modeling methodologies considered. Since prior knowledge on the suitability of the data centric approximation methodology to use in surrogate-assisted evolutionary optimization is typically unavailable beforehand, this paper presents a novel evolutionary framework with the evolvability learning of surrogates (EvoLS) operating on multiple diverse approximation methodologies in the search. Further, in contrast to the common use of fitness prediction error as a criterion for the selection of surrogates, the concept of evolvability to indicate the productivity or suitability of an approximation methodology that brings about fitness improvement in the evolutionary search is introduced as the basis for adaptation. The backbone of the proposed EvoLS is a statistical learning scheme to determine the evolvability of each approximation methodology while the search progresses online. For each individual solution, the most productive approximation methodology is inferred, that is, the method with highest evolvability measure. Fitness improving surrogates are subsequently constructed for use within a trust-region enabled local search strategy, leading to the self-configuration of a surrogate-assisted memetic algorithm for solving computationally expensive problems. A numerical study of EvoLS on commonly used benchmark problems and a real-world computationally expensive aerodynamic car rear design problem highlights the efficacy of the proposed EvoLS in attaining reliable, high quality, and efficient performance under a limited computational budget.
About the 'Unreliability' of the Vocalization of Western Targum-Manuscripts
Authors: Heijmans Shai
Published: May 2012

The main argument for the unreliability of the Tiberian vocalization in Targum manuscripts of western origin is the inconsistency with which the vocalization signs are applied. The author argues that in certain manuscripts this inconsistency is the result of a non-Tiberian vocalization system which uses the Tiberian vocalization signs, the so-called Palestino-Tiberian vocalization system. A passage from an Ashkenazic Targumic manuscript with Palestino-Tiberian vocalization is examined and its 'inconsistencies' are explained in light of similar vocalizations in manuscripts of Rabbinic Hebrew. The author suggests that manuscripts with Palestino-Tiberian vocalization may reflect the pronunciation tradition of Palestinian Aramaic of Late Antiquity.
When God Intervenes in History: The Grammar of in Targum Neofiti and Its Theological Import
Authors: Morrison Craig E.
Published: May 2012

The passive participle, used as an auxiliary, is often thought to introduce an event in the remote or eschatological future. But in Targum Neofiti, it is not the remoteness of a future event that explains the use of, but the modality of obligation: the sure conviction on the part of the speaker that the event introduced by will occur. In most cases, the person obliged to execute the event is God, the source of the theological nuance that lends to the context.
Sacred Architecture: The Numerical Dimensions of Biblical Poems
Authors: Knohl Israel
Published: May 2012

Abstract

I have recently studied the numerical architecture of several biblical poems and found sophisticated use of the numerical structures of words and cola. It is possible that some of these numerical structures are based on numerical values of the letters of the names of God.

If this is indeed the correct explanation of these numerical structures, it should be perceived through wider cultural spectrum: The phenomenon of symbolizing divine names with numerical values is known in the Mesopotamian world. The development of Alphabetic script opened new possibilities for representation of divine name by numbers. Now, God might be represented by the numerical values of the letters of his names. This method has special significance in a society that forbids representing God’s image with a statue. The fact that the representation of the numerical values of letters is not attested in mundane use in Ancient Israel before the Hellenistic period, may point to the possibility that this method was first a sacred secret knowledge.

The numerical structures are best demonstrated in the Masoretic version of the Hebrew Bible. This fact may bear a significant impact upon biblical text criticism.
Ezekiel 16 and its use of Allegory and the Disclosure-of-Abomination Formula
Authors: Llewelyn Stephen , Haag Istvan , Tsonis Jack
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Ezek 16 and 23 have been subjected recently to much critical review, especially from feminist scholars. The present article acknowledges their work but seeks to take the discussion back to a formal analysis of the image of the adulterous wife, with a special focus on Ezek 16 and its use of the ‘disclosure of abomination’ formula. The use of this formula locates the oracle within the legal register but framed in terms of a unilateral covenant. The effect of such a formula and its employment is to silence the woman and give only the accuser/judge a voice. But the use of the formula is figurative and plays to the larger allegorical function of the oracle which, it is argued, places the prophet towards the literate end of the oracy/literacy continuum.
The effect of temperature on standard metabolic rate of Brown Anoles
Authors: Steffen John E. , Appel Arthur G.
Published: May 2012

Understanding the influences of sex and ambient temperature on metabolic rates of reptiles is of fundamental interest to biologists because of the role that temperature-dependent metabolic rates play in shaping behaviour, life history evolution and geographic range. We investigated the effects of sex, body mass and temperature on standard metabolic rate, respiratory quotient (RQ), and Q10 in male and female Brown Anoles, Norops sagrei. When mass-adjusted, oxygen consumption increased linearly with temperature, and there was no effect of sex. RQ did not differ by sex or temperature. Q10 was within the range published for other lizards.
The Interview: Data Collection in Descriptive Phenomenological Human Scientific Research
Authors: Englander Magnus
Published: May 2012

Abstract

In this article, interviewing from a descriptive, phenomenological, human scientific perspective is examined. Methodological issues are raised in relation to evaluative criteria as well as reflective matters that concern the phenomenological researcher. The data collection issues covered are 1) the selection of participants, 2) the number of participants in a study, 3) the interviewer and the questions, and 4) data collection procedures. Certain conclusions were drawn indicating that phenomenological research methods cannot be evaluated on the basis of an empiricist theory of science, but must be critiqued from within a phenomenological theory of science. Some reflective matters, experienced by the phenomenological researcher, are also elaborated upon.
Phenomenological Psychological Research as Science
Authors: Applebaum Marc
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Part of teaching the descriptive phenomenological psychological method is to assist students in grasping their previously unrecognized assumptions regarding the meaning of “science.” This paper is intended to address a variety of assumptions that are encountered when introducing students to the descriptive phenomenological psychological method pioneered by Giorgi. These assumptions are: 1) That the meaning of “science” is exhausted by empirical science, and therefore qualitative research, even if termed “human science,” is more akin to literature or art than methodical, scientific inquiry; 2) That as a primarily aesthetic, poetic enterprise human scientific psychology need not attempt to achieve a degree of rigor and epistemological clarity analogous (while not equivalent) to that pursued by natural scientists; 3) That “objectivity” is a concept belonging to natural science, and therefore human science ought not to strive for objectivity because this would require “objectivizing” the human being; 4) That qualitative research must always adopt an “interpretive” approach, description being seen as merely a mode of interpretation. These assumptions are responded to from a perspective drawing primarily upon Husserl and Merleau-Ponty, but also upon Eagleton’s analysis of aestheticism.
Using God-Talk in a Secular Society: Time for a New Conversation on Public Issues?*
Authors: Bradstock Andrew
Published: May 2012

Abstract

The role that religious language should play in the ‘public square’ has long been a matter of debate. As Rawls, Rorty, Audi and others have long argued, albeit with subtle variations, discussion on public issues must be truly ‘public’ and therefore employ vocabulary, principles and reasoning which are intelligible to any reasonable person and based on public canons of validity. But does this argument do justice to religious voices? Can the growing number of such voices clamouring for the right to be heard continue to be ignored? Does excluding conviction-based language from public debate lessen the quality of that debate and the potential to find effective solutions to policy challenges? Drawing upon recent work by Jonathan Chaplin, Rowan Williams, Roger Trigg and Michael Sandel, this article examines the current state of scholarship on the question of language in public discourse, and concludes that the case for ‘confessional candour’ to be accepted in such discourse is overwhelming and could have a positive effect on policy outcomes. A prerequisite to this, however—at least within the context of New Zealand—will be a fresh debate about the meaning and scope of the term ‘secularism’.
‘Marketplace Masculinities’ Within the International Public Arena of Global Media: Towards a Christian Spiritual Approach to Male Embodiment and ‘Genital Ensoulment’
Authors: Louw Daniël J.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Under the pressure of deconstruction, criticism within the gender discourse, and the fading away of the traditional patriarchal male role functions, male identity is in a crisis. Due to the impact of the mass media, masculinities are currently mostly determined by the healthiness, body-image and achievement ethics of a market-driven economy (marketplace masculinities). It becomes closely associated with the instant need-satisfaction of a consumerist society. As a public issue, maleness is moulded by power, six-pack fitness, wealth, success, money and phallus. Plastic instant masculinity is shaped by the ancient old symbol of phallus, the post-modern Zeus: Rambo, and the leisure idol of playboy. This article considers the extent to which the Christian spiritual notion of phronesis within inhabitational theology can reframe masculinities, and argues that from a spiritual perspective males can grow into compassionate men. The article concludes that patriarchal headship should be transformed and replaced by the theological public of servant-hood and the trans-cultural notion of an eschatological identity.
Thinking about Belonging in Early Rabbinic Literature: Proselytes, Apostates, and “Children of Israel,” or: Does It Make Sense to Speak of Early Rabbinic Orthodoxy?
Authors: Schremer Adiel
Published: May 2012

Abstract

This paper offers a modest contribution to the discussion of the rabbinic construction of Jewish identity in Tannaitic times, by showing that in the few occasions in which early rabbinic texts relate to the question of belonging in the Jewish community they do not consider belief as a relevant category for the discussion. This, I suggest, indicates that for Palestinian rabbis of the first, second, and early third century, Jewish identity was not a matter of belief and doctrine. Rather, it was either a matter of birth and descent, or a matter of loyalty to the covenant.
The First Judgment of the International Criminal Court (Prosecutor v. Lubanga): A Comprehensive Analysis of the Legal Issues
Authors: Ambos Kai
Published: May 2012

On 14 March 2012, Trial Chamber I (hereinafter ‘the Chamber’) of the International Criminal Court (‘ICC’ or ‘the Court’) delivered the long awaited first judgment of the Court (‘the judgment’). This comment focuses exclusively on the legal issues dealt with in the judgment but pretends to do this comprehensively. It critically analyses the following five subject matters with the respective legal issues: definition and participation of victims; presentation and evaluation of evidence; nature of the armed conflict; war crime of recruitment and use of children under fifteen years (Article 8(2)(e)(vii) ICC Statute); and, last but not least, co-perpetration as the relevant mode of responsibility, including the mental element (Articles 25, 30). While this article follows the order of the judgment for the reader’s convenience and to better represent the judgment’s argumentative sequence, the length and depth of the inquiry into each subject matter and the respective issues depend on their importance for the future case law of the Court and the persuasiveness of the Chamber’s own treatment of the issue. The article concludes with some general remarks on aspects of drafting, presentation and referencing.
Manfred Mayrhofer’s Studies on Indo-Aryan and the Indo-Aryans in the Ancient Near East: A Retrospective and Outlook on Future Research
Authors: Raulwing Peter
Published: May 2012

Abstract

Around 100 years ago, the surprising discovery of linguistic traces of an older stage of the Vedic language in the ancient Near East caused an increasing amount of interest in various academic disciplines such as Indo-European linguistics, oriental studies (Assyriology), and Egyptology, among others. In default of a historical name, this language became known as “Indo-Aryan” in the ancient Near East over the course of the 20th century. Its relatively small text corpus, documented in cuneiform archives across the Eastern Mediterranean cultures, contains about two or three dozen termini technici; among them divine names, personal names, legal terms and—proportionally high in comparison to the overall number of the Indo-Aryan textual evidence—terms related to horses and chariots. The scholarly interest circled around linguistically possible Indo-Aryan influences on non-Indo-Aryan languages and cultures in the eastern Mediterranean, Mesopotamia, including Anatolia, and Egypt in the Second Intermediate Period and the New Kingdom; among them, the hypothesis of the introduction of horses and chariots into the ancient Near East. During the 1930s and 1940s political and ideological developments, especially in German-speaking countries, influenced perspectives and results of studies on Indo-Aryan in the ancient Near East by introducing non-linguistic approaches and methodologies. Manfred Mayrhofer has dedicated a significant part of his long and successful academic career to the linguistic and bibliographical research of Indo-Aryan and its reception in scholarly studies. This retrospective attempts to review specific aspects of Mayrhofer’s studies on Indo-Aryan and the Indo-Aryans in the ancient Near East and adjacent areas and to provide an outlook on further tasks and research deriving from his legacy.
Imperialism and Racial Geography in James Henry Breasted’s Ancient Times, a History of the Early World
Authors: Ambridge Lindsay J.
Published: May 2012

Abstract

James Henry Breasted (1865–1935), founder of the Oriental Institute at the University of Chicago, was a prolific writer of popularizing books on the ancient Near East. This article presents a critical analysis and historical contextualization of one of his most widely read books: Ancient Times, a History of the Early World. Published as a high school textbook in 1916 and revised in 1935, it serves as a reference point from which to investigate the effects of political and cultural variables on ancient historiography. Changes between the first and second editions of the book indicate that Breasted increasingly relied on scientific vocabulary to map the geo-racial boundaries of early civilization. Combining this with a model of enlightened exploitation, Breasted constructed a vision of the ancient past that was ultimately a commentary on the socio-political conditions of his own time.
A Multidimensional Semantics for Discourse Particles: Evidence from Spanish Neuter Demonstratives
Authors: Zulaica-Hernández Iker , Gutiérrez-Rexach Javier
Published: May 2012

Demonstratives are a fertile source of discourse-particle formation in Spanish. These particles, which we will be callingdemonstrative discourse operators, combine a demonstrative pronoun plus additional material in lexicalized complex expressions. In this paper, we argue that these demonstrative expressions contribute to discourse coherence and cohesion by establishing specific rhetorical relations such asContrastorElaborationbetween discourse utterances. Building on the discourse deictic and anaphoric nature of demonstratives as well as on their quantificational properties we also present a novel characterization for these demonstrative discourse operators as operators with a tripartite structure. We argue that the expressive content of these units contains two basic components, namely, a particular rhetorical relation and the speaker’s attitude towards the expressed content. Our proposal not only can have implications for general theories of demonstrative expressions and rhetorical structure but also for recent semantic perspectives dealing with how discourse particles structure and possibly articulate meaning into different dimensions.
Pragmatic Semantics
Authors: Stalmaszczyk Piotr
Published: May 2012

The division of labour between semantics and pragmatics, and the proper delimitation of the respective disciplines, has been thoroughly discussed within different theoretical approaches. Research conducted in recent years concentrates on the issue of pragmaticising meaning, i.e. shifting the burden of theoretical analysis from semantics to pragmatics.
Researching Humour in Context
Authors: Yus Francisco
Published: May 2012

Research on humour has developed enormously in the last few years, but the scope of its analysis has also broadened in a similar fashion. The papers collected in the reviewed volume do cover most of the research issues that any pragmatics of humour should address, even if this collection of articles exhibits a certain degree of heterogeneity. However, there is a unifying link among the chapters in the authors’ willingness to treat humour as necessarily contextualized and also to take into account both underlying humorous intentions and the quality of interpretations.
A Robust Error-Based Rain Estimation Method for Polarimetric Radar. Part II: Case Study
Authors: Pepler Acacia S. , May Peter T.
Published: May 2012

Rainfall estimation using polarimetric radar involves the combination of a number of estimators with differing error characteristics to optimize rainfall estimates at all rain rates. In Part I of this paper, a new technique for such combinations was proposed that weights algorithms by the inverse of their theoretical errors. In this paper, the derived algorithms are validated using the “CP2” polarimetric radar in Queensland, Australia, and a collocated rain gauge network for two heavy-rain events during November 2008 and a larger statistical analysis that is based on data from between 2007 and 2009. Use of a weighted combination of polarimetric algorithms offers some improvement over composite methods that are based on decision-tree logic, particularly at moderate to high rain rates and during severe-thunderstorm events.
Seasonal and Interannual Variations of Evapotranspiration and Energy Exchange over Different Land Surfaces in a Semiarid Area of China
Authors: Huizhi Liu , Jianwu Feng
Published: May 2012

Seasonal and interannual variations of evapotranspiration (ET) and energy exchange were estimated over degraded grassland and cropland land surfaces in a semiarid region of northeastern China using the eddy covariance technique from 2003 to 2008. The peak daily ET, which occurred in August, was 1.5–4.5 mm day−1for the degraded grassland and 1.5–5.5 mm day−1for the cropland land surface. Annual cumulative ET was roughly equal to annual precipitation at both sites. However, the annual cumulative ET at the cropland site was slightly larger (about 10–30 mm) than it was at the grassland at the end of each year. More water might come from irrigation at seedtime and from the soil. With the factor analysis technique, the results revealed that the atmospheric water demand was the most important factor in the ET process on a half-hour time scale in this semiarid area. On a seasonal time scale, ET was greatly constrained by surface conductance and precipitation; on an annual time scale, ET was greatly constrained by the total amount of precipitation at both sites. The accuracy of ET estimation using the Penman–Monteith formula in this semiarid area was also discussed.
Weakly Forced Mock Walker Cells
Authors: Kuang Zhiming
Published: May 2012

Mock Walker cells driven by weak sea surface temperature (SST) forcing are studied using planetary-scale cloud system–resolving simulations and a simplified framework that represents convection with its linear response functions and parameterizes the large-scale flow based on the gravity wave equation. For sinusoidal SST forcings of the same amplitude, as the horizontal domain size increases, the mock Walker cells strengthen substantially and shorter vertical scales in the vertical velocity profile diminish. This is explained by the fact that temperature anomalies required to sustain a vertical velocity profile of given amplitude are stronger in cases of larger horizontal and smaller vertical scales. Such temperature anomalies become significant at planetary scales so that properly accounting for the horizontal momentum balance, including convective momentum transport (CMT), becomes necessary, while a weak temperature gradient approach that neglects horizontal momentum balance is no longer adequate. The downward advection component of the CMT in particular is important for capturing a number of features of the mock Walker cells. The extent of convective organization also affects the mock Walker cell through its effects on the sensitivities of convective heating and moistening to temperature and moisture anomalies. For strongly organized convection with deep inflows, these sensitivities are consistent with a layer mode of convective overturning, instead of the parcel mode as in unorganized convection, resulting in a weaker second baroclinic component in the mock Walker cells.
Weak Pressure Gradient Approximation and Its Analytical Solutions
Authors: Romps David M.
Published: May 2012

A weak pressure gradient (WPG) approximation is introduced for parameterizing supradomain-scale (SDS) dynamics, and this method is compared to the relaxed form of the weak temperature gradient (WTG) approximation in the context of 3D, linearized, damped, Boussinesq equations. It is found that neither method is able to capture the two different time scales present in the full 3D equations. Nevertheless, WPG is argued to have several advantages over WTG. First, WPG correctly predicts the magnitude of the steady-state buoyancy anomalies generated by an applied heating, but WTG underestimates these buoyancy anomalies. It is conjectured that this underestimation may short-circuit the natural feedbacks between convective mass fluxes and local temperature anomalies. Second, WPG correctly predicts the adiabatic lifting of air below an initial buoyancy perturbation; WTG is unable to capture this nonlocal effect. It is hypothesized that this may be relevant to moist convection, where adiabatic lifting can reduce convective inhibition. Third, WPG agrees with the full 3D equations on the counterintuitive fact that an isolated heating applied to a column of Boussinesq fluid leads to a steady ascent with zero column-integrated buoyancy. This falsifies the premise of the relaxed form of WTG, which assumes that vertical velocity is proportional to buoyancy.