bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Meta‐analysis of the effect of acupressure on duration of labor and mode of delivery
Authors: Makvandi Somayeh , Mirzaiinajmabadi Khadigeh , Sadeghi Ramin , Mahdavian Mitra , Karimi Leila
Published: July 2016

Background

Acupressure is increasing in popularity as an alternative treatment in obstetrics and gynecology.

Objectives

To summarize and assess evidence regarding the effects of acupressure on duration of labor and mode of delivery.

Search strategy

Four major databases and Google Scholar were searched using terms related to labor and acupressure, without language restrictions, up to November 2015.

Selection criteria

Randomized controlled trials were included if they examined the effect of acupressure at any acupoint during childbirth on duration of labor and/or mode of delivery.

Data collection and analysis

Two reviewers independently extracted data. The outcome measures were duration of labor and mode of delivery. Random‐effects models were used to pool results.

Main results

Thirteen studies were included in meta‐analyses. Acupressure increased the chance of vaginal delivery when compared with placebo/no intervention (odds ratio [OR] 2.329, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.348–4.024, P = 0.002; risk difference [RD] 8.9%, 95% CI 2.7%–15.0%, P = 0.005). Acupressure decreased the duration of the active phase by 1.310 hours (95% CI –1.738 to –0.882; P < 0.001) and the second stage of labor by 5.808 minutes (95% CI –1.615 to –0.807; P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Acupressure could have a role in reducing the rate of cesarean delivery and decreasing the duration of labor in parturient women. However, there is a need for more reliable randomized controlled trials.
The Effects of Channel Experiences and Direct Marketing on Customer Retention in Multichannel Settings
Authors: Chang Chun-Wei , Zhang Jonathan Z.
Published: July 2016

In customer relationship management (CRM), it is critical for managers to understand how and when customers terminate their relationships with the company in order to make more accurate predictions for CLV. However, in many non-contractual settings, customer churn is not easily observed, which presents difficulty for estimating customer retention. In this research, we present a framework for estimating multichannel customer relationship dynamics in a non-contractual setting that flexibly allows for relationship revival and investigates the effects of different channel experiences and marketing communication on retention and profitability. We use a multi-segment, multivariate hidden Markov modeling framework to model three managerially relevant customer behaviors: purchase amount, purchase incidence, and channel choice. Using data from a multichannel clothing retailer, we uncover two latent relationship states that customers migrate to and from — an active state and an inactive state characterized by different levels of purchase frequency, responsiveness to marketing, and profitability. We find that an offline (retail-store) channel can be used to migrate customers from an inactive state to an active state, effectively serving the purpose of “education” or “revival,” whereas an online channel is most effective in keeping the existing active customers active, thus serving the purpose of “retention”. Using counterfactual analysis, we highlight an opportunity for the multichannel firm to optimize marketing strategies to dynamically manage and increase the retention and hence also the value of its customer base.
Effect of armed conflicts on humanitarian operations: Total factor productivity and efficiency of rural hospitals
Authors: Jola‐Sanchez Andres F. , Pedraza‐Martinez Alfonso J. , Bretthauer Kurt M. , Britto Rodrigo A.
Published: July 2016

We study an important but widely neglected topic in humanitarian operations: armed conflicts. Specifically, this paper empirically analyzes the effect of armed conflicts on the operational performance of first‐layer response organizations. Using as a case study the Colombian conflict we investigate the effect of conflict on public rural hospitals' (i) total factor productivity, (ii) efficiency and (iii) efficiency variability. The panel data set (2007–2011) used in this study includes information at the hospital level for 163 hospitals and qualitative data collected from interviews with medical staff from the Colombian Ministry of Health and hospitals in different conflict zones. Our results indicate that armed conflict has a positive effect on total factor productivity, while it has a negative impact on hospital efficiency, and interestingly that efficiency and total factor productivity both increase in post conflict. Finally, the results show that efficiency variability is higher in peace and post‐conflict hospitals and lower in medium and severe‐conflict hospitals. These results have operations management implications and opportunities for future research related to sourcing decisions, supply chain and workforce flexibility, behavioral impacts on the workforce, and humanitarian response to conflicts.
Phylogeny and taxonomic revision of Microascaceae with emphasis on synnematous fungi
Authors: Sandoval-Denis M. , Guarro J. , Cano-Lira J.F. , Sutton D.A. , Wiederhold N.P. , de Hoog G.S. , Abbott S.P. , Decock C. , Sigler L. , Gené J.
Published: July 2016

The taxonomy of the synnematous genera Cephalotrichum, Doratomyces and Trichurus, and other related genera Gamsia, Wardomyces and Wardomycopsis, has been controversial and relies mainly on morphological criteria. These are microascaceous saprobic
fungi mostly found in air and soil and with a worldwide distribution. In order to clarify their taxonomy and to delineate generic boundaries within the Microascaceae, we studied 57 isolates that include clinical, environmental and all the available ex-type strains of a large set of
species by means of morphological, physiological and molecular phylogenetic analyses using DNA sequence data of four loci (the ITS region, and fragments of rDNA LSU, translation elongation factor 1α and β-tubulin). The results demonstrate that Cephalotrichum, Doratomyces
and Trichurus are congeneric and the genus Cephalotrichum is accepted here with Echinobotryum as a further synonym. The genera Acaulium and Fairmania, typified by A. albonigrescens and F. singularis, respectively, are distinct from
Microascus and Scopulariopsis, Gamsia is distinct from Wardomyces, and Wardomycopsis is confirmed as a separate genus in the Microascaceae. Two new species of Cephalotrichum are described as C. brevistipitatum and C. hinnuleum.
Nine new combinations are proposed, i.e. Acaulium acremonium, A. caviariforme, Cephalotrichum asperulum, C. columnare, C. cylindricum, C. dendrocephalum, C. gorgonifer, Gamsia columbina and Wardomyces giganteus.
A neotype is designed for C. stemonitis. Lectotypes and epitypes are designated for A. acremonium, A. albonigrescens, C. gorgonifer, C. nanum and W. anomalus. Cephalotrichum cylindricum, C. microsporum,
F. singularis and Gamsia columbina are also epitypified with new specimens. Descriptions of the phenotypic features and dichotomous keys for identification are provided for accepted species in the different genera.
Holocene coastal morphologies and shoreline reconstruction for the southwestern coast of the Bohai Sea, China
Authors: Liu Yanxia , Huang Haijun , Qi Yali , Liu Xiao , Yang Xiguang
Published: July 2016

Ground-penetrating radar (GPR) reflection profiles were interpreted and combined with sedimentological data to highlight the morpho-evolutionary history of the southwestern sector of the Bohai Sea. The internal structures in GPR images obtained near the Holocene maximum transgression boundary revealed concave-upward and onlap types of transgressive paleotopography. The relationship between historical courses of the Yellow River and the distribution of shell ridges at three periods (6 ka, 2 ka, and recent times) showed that the concave-upward types derived from the marine sediments overlap the fluvial sediments, and the onlap types from the marine sediments cover the coastal lagoon sediments. Based on the above paleogeographical setting, previous sea-level markers were corrected, taking into account uncertainties of their relationship to former water levels. The rates of vertical tectonic displacement, evaluated through comparison of the relative sea level (RSL) data from the GPR images and the Holocene predicted sea-level elevation, markedly affected RSL changes. The fitted RSL curves from the corrected sea-level indicators showed that the accuracy of former sea-level determinations can be improved by comparing with the maximum transgressive position of GPR detection. A topographic digital elevation model (DEM) for 6 ka is reconstructed based on the corrected data.
Reflections of Individual Cultural Identity in Dance: The Example of Two Bulgarian Immigrants in Athens
Authors: Charitonidis Chariton
Published: August 2016

This study explores aspects of cultural identity of two Bulgarian immigrants, as these are reflected in their dance preferences in contemporary Athens. Using methodological tools of anthropological critique and the “new” reflexive anthropology, the study highlights the internal-personal and external (social, political, economic) factors that mold cultural identity over time, whereby the past becomes a key factor influencing the actions of people in the “present” context. The study draws on Timothy Rice's (1994) work—the comparison with the “protagonists” of his ethnography (Kostandin Varimezov and his wife Todora Varimezova) is inevitable—and discusses the meaning of music and dance for a couple of Bulgarian immigrants living in Athens while struggling—once more—with an economic crisis.
Playing Mas on Campus: Dance and Public Demonstrations at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad
Authors: Crawford Sally
Published: August 2016

In Trinidad, the act of playing mas in Carnival is about transformation and the intersection of traditional characters with contemporary social issues. When the mas moves from the streets of Port of Spain to a university campus, dance and theatrical performance become a means for students to engage with social issues in public spaces. In February 2014, the performing arts students of the University of the West Indies St. Augustine campus played mas to raise awareness for several issues in the department. The students claimed a lack of adequate class space and proper consultation in developing these resources. The students carried handmade placards with slogans, danced, chanted, and sang as they lined the road to campus. Some students even performed ballet and modern dance sequences learned in class on the sidewalk to demonstrate the need for more rehearsal space. Later in that same month, students also producedThe Old Yard, part of the annual Trinidad Carnival celebration. The event featured “dramatic displays and exhibitions linked to cultural research within and outside of the University of the West Indies” (UWI St Augustine Campus 2014). Both performances utilized dance to communicate how socio-economic issues impacted daily life on campus and within a national performance community. By applying historical and ethnographic frameworks, I explore how the students use the act of playing mas as a means to negotiate their identity as performers and students in a university setting.
Rolling and Trembling of the Abdomen: Movement as a Subaltern Subject in Colonial Egypt
Authors: Faidi Maria
Published: August 2016

Accordingly to Shay and Sellers-Young (2005) “the term “belly dance” was adopted by natives and non-natives to denote all solo dance forms from Morocco to Uzbekistan that engage the hips, torso, arms and hands in undulations, shimmies, circles and spirals.” Dance historian Curt Sachs depicted the dance as “the swinging of therectus abdominis” (Sachs 1963). This movement has been performed by many oriental dancers in the past century and has become part of the routine of oriental dancers worldwide. This movement has even named the dance “belly dance,” and become one of the most representative elements of contemporary Egyptian culture.

This paper will be organized as follows: firstly, I am going to explain succinctly how I use the term “subaltern” in relation to dance and colonialism. Secondly, I am going to present the main scenarios, actors, and factors in which the rolling and trembling of the abdomen was danced, watched, desired and hated at the end of the nineteenth century, provoking strong love/hate reactions among thefin de sieclepublic. The discourse intermingles both dance and feminist analysis observing how movement constituted a metaphor of the unequal power relations between the metropolis and the colony within the particular historical context of British colonialism in Egypt.
Dance Competition Culture and Capitalism
Authors: Schupp Karen
Published: August 2016

Long before SoYou Think You Can DanceandDance Moms, dance competitions focused on tap, jazz, contemporary, and ballet were alive and well throughout the U.S. Since the 1970s, dance competitions have served as venues for dance students to display their skills as both a team and as individuals, and as a means of profit for the individuals and corporations who run them. Dance competition culture operates on a “pay to dance” framework and belief system. By some estimates, for competitors who are deeply involved in dance competitions, the costs can easily top $1,000 per month.

In many ways, more Americans are involved directly and indirectly in dance competitions than ever before, yet there has been little to no discussion of dance competition culture in relation to capitalism. The choice to participate in dance competitions affects the for-profit business models used in dance studios and is reflected in dance studios' tuition structures, required fees, and studio policies. Analyzing the economics of dance competition culture, which includes the organizations that offer dance competitions and dance conventions, the dance studios who train dancers for these events, and dance competition participants and their families, can provide valuable information about who has access to dance, and how that access reflects and shapes ideas about dance, gender, race, and class in the larger U.S. culture. As governmental support for dance continues to dwindle, it is timely to assess the financial, societal, and artistic impacts of increasing popularity of dance competition culture.
TheNewPolitical Theology of Metz: Confronting Schmitt's Decisionist Political Theology of Exclusion
Authors: Simon Derek
Published: August 2016

The New Political Theology has always raised questions regarding the contrast implied by its qualification as “new.” The qualification “new” suggests a comparison resulting from an innovation, a departure. Precisely what comparison, is at stake? Various kinds of readings assume that the innovation of Metz's political theology is established in relation to Rahner's transcendental theology, in relation to left-Hegelian and neo-Marxist influences, or to the voices of Jewish testimony after Auschwitz. Taken alone, these lines of interpretation are valid yet insufficient, therefore potentially misleading in following the development of the New Political Theology. A different reading, therefore, proposes that Metz'sNewPolitical Theology is an effort to delegitimate and deliver an alternative to the antidemocratic and anti-Semitic political theology of Carl Schmitt. In diametric opposition to the violent identity politics of exclusion that defines Schmitt's decisionist political theology, the New Political Theology proposes an identity politics of difference, empowering responsibility for movements of justice and reconciliation in pluralistic societies through a deliberative social democracy oriented towards solidarity by the memory of the suffering of others.
Catholic Fundamentalism? Some Implications of Dominus Iesus for Dialogue and Peacemaking
Authors: May John D'Arcy
Published: August 2016

Can the Catholic Church be fundamentalist? Contemporary scholarship has shown that fundamentalism can take other forms than scriptural literalism. It consists in a rationalizing of traditional certainties in the face of pluralism and change. Its Catholic form could be described as “morphological,” residing in the structures of authority and power. Protestant reactions to Dominus Iesus missed the fundamentalist logic implicit in its synthesis of christology and ecclesiology. They praised the reaffirmation of Christocentrism but were dismayed that Methodists and Muslims were portrayed as inferior for essentially the same reasons. The document not only fails to reflect Vatican II's program for decentralizing authority but also overlooks the implications of Nostra Aetate 4 for interfaith dialogue. Its assertion of soteriological and theological superiority raises ethical questions. Dialogue is a religious act of welcoming the Stranger. Its refusal contains a potential for violence.
Public Theology as Civil Discourse: What Are We Talking About?
Authors: Lindsey W. D.
Published: August 2016

In recent years, American theologians have debated the outer limits of the church's competence to deliver specific ethical directives on issues of such sociopolitical import as the arms race or the structure of the American economy. In the American Catholic theological community, this discussion has focused on the two pastoral letters of the U.S. bishops written in the 1980s,The Challenge of PeaceandEconomic Justice for All. Ethicists critical of the public theology of these letters, including Dennis McCann and George Weigel, have expressed concern that the documents overidentify the American bishops with the political agenda of the American left. McCann and Weigel speculate that the process of wide consultation the bishops innovated as they composed these pastorals invited contributions of marginal groups who were allowed to dominate the conversation about the nuclear question and the economy and thus to skew the pastorals' conclusions in a radical direction not characteristic of the thinking of the majority of American Catholics. McCann and Weigel propose that public theology (and the consultative process underlying pastoral letters) employ “civil discourse” as the norm—that is, that all participants in the conversation speak the language of natural law, and that this language be taught by experts. The article critiques this proposal and argues that it envisages an ostensible pluralism which will, in fact, mute the voices of the marginal and protect the interests of the assumed center.
Is Culture “Illusion”? A Pragmatic Response to D. W. Winnicott
Authors: Kilby Robert Jay
Published: August 2016

D. W. Winnicott offers a psychological interpretation of the intermediate area of experience between subjectivity and objectivity. He includes mature cultural imagination within this area. Religious scholars have recently observed that Winnicott's theory is an improvement over the dichotomy between subjectivity and objectivity Freud promoted inThe Future of an Illusion. However, Winnicott continues to apply Freud's term “illusion” to this intermediate area because claims to verifiability or falsifiability cannot be made on its behalf. This article maintains that Winnicott's interpretation of culture should be clarified and revised to make room for a public domain, which includes morality and religion. A pragmatic position is presented, which argues that claims to goodness or Tightness can be made on behalf of morality and claims to moral fruitfulness can be made on behalf of religion.
Postmodern Scientific Cosmology and the Christian God of Creation
Authors: Clifford Anne M.
Published: August 2016

After brief explanations of constructive postmodern science and its epistemology, and the most widely accepted cosmological theory, the Big Bang, this essay explores their potential for theological reflection on the Christian God of creation. Attention is given to the Christian doctrinecreatio ex nihilo; concordism of it with the Big Bang is ruled out. The potential for consonance of postmodern Big Bang cosmology with the Christian God of creation is examined. In a revisionist move, an abstract, unipersonal theism is rejected as not true to Christian trinitarian revelation and therefore inappropriate for an exploration of consonance with Big Bang cosmology. Consonance of major elements of cosmic process, made intelligible by postmodern cosmology, with the exocentric Trinity “immanent to the world” is proposed.
Can Character Ethics Have Moral Rules and Principles? Christian Doctrine and Comprehensive Moral Theory
Authors: Haddorff David W.
Published: August 2016

This paper investigates how character ethicists use rules and principles in their virtue-centered and narrative-dependent theories, and how such limited use fails to appreciate the performative content of Christian doctrine. If they are correct in insisting that Christian ethics begin with the practical import of theological convictions, then they not only limit thedescriptionof such beliefs but also theperformanceof such beliefs. A more “comprehensive ethic” that includes rules, principles, practices, and virtues, when one begins with the performance of doctrine not scriptural narratives. Such an argument unfolds through three states of the article: (a) itdescribeshow character ethics uses rules, norms, and principles in its own moral theory; (b) it further evaluates this theory based on its own procedural starting point; and (3) itconstructshow rules and principles can emerge from such a methodological starting point.
Gregory Baum's Theory of Social Change
Authors: Schweitzer Don
Published: August 2016

Theologies dedicated to radical social change require an understanding of how social change is possible. Gregory Baum has developed such a theory based on Max Weber's notion of charismatic leadership. This article analyzes Baum's understanding of the nature and dynamics of social change, the role of symbols therein, and shows how Baum corrects certain weaknesses in Weber's thought. Baum's theory could be strengthened by drawing upon Christian symbols of eschatological hope and the doctrine of the Trinity. This would help the church relate its faith to social movements and countervailing trends in terms of its own symbol system.
The Kyoto School: Modern Buddhist Philosophy and the Search for a Transcultural Theology
Authors: Fredericks James
Published: August 2016

The author argues that the Kyoto school of modern Japanese Buddhist philosophy can contribute much to Christian reflection on the problem of a transcultural theology. Starting with the work of Nishida Kitaro in the early part of this century, the Kyoto school has attempted to express Mahayana Buddhist thought in Western philosophical categories. Articulating his own “logic” based on the Mahayana notions of emptiness and nothingness, Nishida went on to advance a fully developed philosophy of religion which offers a unique interpretation of Christian theism while presenting the Mahayana tradition in a critical and systematic language accessible to a Western readership. Nishida's colleagues in the School include Tanabe Hajime, Nishitani Keiji, Takeuchi Yoshinori, and Abe Masao among others. A review of the literature available in Western languages is offered, as well as a discussion of some of the salient theological problems raised by this Mahayana critique of Christian theism and its contribution to the problem of a transcultural theological standpoint.
Hermeneutical Aspects of John Henry Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine
Authors: Morgan Drew Phillip
Published: August 2016

Recent interest in the study of hermeneutics has called for a reexamination of many Christian classics. This has initiated a retrieval of many valuable insights found in the classics that are extremely important for contemporary theology. Newman's Essay on the Development of Christian Doctrine is such a classic. From the time of its publication in 1845, the Essay has been an important and influential work in the life of Catholic thought. By reexamining Newman's work, we are assisted along the unfolding hermeneutical path known as Catholic theology. This article examines Newman's theory of development, three major objections to that theory, and a review of the relevance of Newman's theory for contemporary hermeneutics.
The Background of the Kong Family of LU and The Origins of Ruism
Authors: Eno Robert
Published: August 2016

While it is generally believed that Confucius's devotion to the Zhou ritual system was, in part, a product of his background as a countryman of the traditionalist Zhou state of Lu, this study suggests that Confucius was raised in and influenced by the cultural sphere of a non-Zhou people, the region associated with the state of Zhulou, to which his mother's family belonged. Evidence from the Zuo zkuan lends support to the Shiji account of Confucius's family background, which has long been questioned. This evidence suggests that Confucius's father was a privileged associate of a leading Lu grandee household, the Zang clan, charged with defending the southern border of Lu, an area of Zhulou culture occupied by Lu in the century before Confucius's birth. Accounts of the Zang clan indicate an unusual family stature, involving ritual expertise and hereditary possession of the Lu office of minister of Crime. Shortly before his death, he himself having moved north with the Zangs, Confucius's father took a concubine from the Yan clan of Zhulou, who remained with her family to raise his orphan, Confucius. Evidence suggests that Confucius and his early followers, including members of the Yan clan, displaced, in some critical respects, the role formerly played in Lu by the Zang clan, after the leadership of that clan was exiled from Lu. Tensions between Zang and Yan clan elements appear to have left significant traces in the corpus of early Confucian texts, and to have played a role in the formation of the Ruist school.
Early Chinese Manuscripts: Including Addenda and Corrigenda to New Sources of Early Chinese History: An Introduction to The Reading Of Inscriptions and Manuscripts
Authors: Giele Enno
Published: August 2016

From the outside, it would almost seem as if the authors and the editor ofNew Sources of Early Chinese History(hereafter, Sources) had completed their job before it was due. After all, this volume, which is no. 3 in theEarly China Special Monograph Series,1is the first Western book exclusively devoted to introducing a broad range of Chinese epigraphical materials: inscriptions in bones, turtle plastrons, and bronze as well as manuscripts written on stone tablets, wooden and bamboo strips, and silk.
19. Noun Phrases in the Oracle-Bone Inscriptions
Authors: Takashima Ken-Ichi
Published: August 2016

While nouns and noun phrases are only one aspect of the Shang language, they are an important constituent element which, together with a verb in a sentence, occur as topic, subject, direct or indirect object, or object of a particle. In order to have a better understanding of the inscriptional language as a whole, a good understanding of the noun phrases is desirable.

This paper undertakes to present a systematic account of noun phrases in the Shang oracle-bone inscriptions. The examples are taken from an entire corpus of inscriptions from Period I to Period V, paying no particular attention to diachronic developments. Some diachronic descriptions -- changes over time in construction and meaning -- are also cited in notes whenever they are considered relevant.

The main concern of the paper is two-fold: noun-phrase formations and elucidation of their intended meanings. A number of new interpretations, particularly of nouns, is presented in the “Notes” which are integral to the descriptions. The paper also, necessarily, pays close attention to the use of such conjunctive particles as you, ta, and yu.
Intellectual Change in the Chunqiu Period: The Reliability of the Speeches in the Zuo Zhuan as Sources of Chunqiu Intellectual History
Authors: Pines Yuri
Published: August 2016

Intellectual history of the Chunqiu period has not been at the focus of scholarly discussions due to the presumed absence of reliable sources for Chunqiu thought. This article argues that the speeches by Chunqiu statesmen recorded in the Zuo zhuan do reflect the Chunqiu intellectual milieu. First, the sources of the Zuo are discussed. Its author/compiler relied on abundant written materials prepared by the court scribes of Chunqiu states. These “scribal records” contained, among others, speeches by leading statesmen; the evidence suggests that slight embellishments notwithstanding, the records basically reflected the content of the original speech. The reliability of the Zuo zhuan is discussed next. The unequivocal intellectual change from the beginning to the end of the Zuo speeches, particularly the changing mode of use and the changing content of some basic terms of political and ethical discourse, rule out the possibility that the speeches have been invented or significantly edited by the author/compiler of the Zuo. This allows us to conclude that the Zuo is the reliable – and invaluable – repository of Chunqiu thought.
Cosmos, Cosmograph, and the Inquiring Poet: New Answers to the “Heaven Questions”
Authors: Field Stephen
Published: August 2016

A Qing dynasty commentator was the first to discover that line 79 of theChuci“Tianwen”,tian shi zong heng天式縱衡, referred to the diviner's board, or what the author calls the “cosmograph.” This instrument was a model of the cosmos used by the diviner to determine, among other things, the position of asterisms beneath the horizon. The discovery was echoed by noted scholars in the twentieth century, but no one could determine the significance of the reference. This article analyzes the quatrain in which the line appears and shows how the cosmograph is the microcosmic key to the poem's cosmic interpretation. Quite simply, the answer to the question lies among the stars.

The likelihood that the author of “Tianwen” had a cosmograph in mind when he wrote verse 79 is evidence that other lines may also reflect the existence of such devices. For example, with regard to verse 7,huan ze jiu chong圜貝九重, in which commentators have always perceived a “nine-tiered” heaven, the author argues that what is “round” is the cosmos, and thejiu chongrefers to its “manifold” dimensions.Huan zethen is the “cosmic model”, like the cosmograph, and the succeeding lines of the poem describe its components as a means of depicting the motions of the heavens.
A Reexamination of “The Biographies of the Reasonable Officials” in theRecords of the Grand Historian
Authors: Nienhauser William H.
Published: August 2016

“The Biographies of the Reasonable Officials” (“Hsun-li lieh-chuan”), chapter 117 of theShih chi(Records of the Grand Historian) by Ssu-tna Ch'ien (145–c. 85 B.C.), has been deemed a forgery by a number of scholars including Ts'ui Shih (1852–1924). The objections raised by these scholars are reexamined in this paper along with the texts of “The Reasonable Officials” and its companion, “The Biographies of the Harsh Officials” (“K'u-li lieh-chuan”). The narrative structure and historical accuracy of “The Reasonable Officials” are contrasted with those of “The Harsh Officials” to reveal still more flaws in the former. But the basic concept that a chapter in theShih chiflawed by such errors must be from the hand of a forger is challenged, since time constraints on Ssu-ma Ch'ien would have been greater than those on later imitators and it is likely that without such constraints the obvious problems in this chapter would have been avoided. Finally, an alternative solution to the integral problems in “The Reasonable Officials” is suggested: namely, that the text is based closely on previously compiled materials on reasonable officials taken from the Han imperial archives. This hypothesis, while it cannot be irrefutably substantiated, would resolve almost all of the questions scholars have traditionally raised concerning “The Reasonable Officials,”
The Time of the Stone Drum Inscriptions: An Excursion in the Diachronic Analysis of Chou Script
Authors: Mattos Gilbert L.
Published: August 2016

In their attempts to date the ten Shih-ku, or Stone Drums (hereafter SD), which are generally regarded to be the earliest stone monuments unearthed in China to date, Chinese scholars have frequently cited the style of the script in the SD inscriptions as a telling feature of their date (e.g., Yao Ta-jung 1911, Ma Heng 1931, Ch'iang Yün-k'ai 1935, Yang Shou-ch'i 1935, Tai Chün-jen 1952, Na Chih-liang 1958, T'ang Lan 1958, Chang Kuang-yüan 1966, and so forth). Yet their analyses of the script and conclusions have differed considerably, with final assessments differing by as many as 1700 years! The primary reason for this disparity, in my opinion, is that the problem has never been approached systematically. The usual procedure has been to select a handful of graphs from the inscriptions which either point to a very early date for the SD texts or a later date, depending on the author's point of view.
The Concept of Predetermination and Fate in the Han
Authors: Hsu Cho-yun
Published: August 2016

A number of interesting anecdotes are recorded in the Shih-chi and the Han-shu, especially in the biographies of various renowned figures. Some of these anecdotes are related to the concept of predestination and fate. The most frequently mentioned cases are the stories of the births of emperors and founders of dynasties and legends related to the ancient sage kings.

At the beginning of the “Annals of Liu Pang,” the founder of the Han dynasty, it is related that he was engendered by a dragon and from this acquired an unusual physiognomy resembling the face of a dragon. His unusual appearance impressed his prospective father-in-law, who decided to let him marry his daughter, the future Empress Lü. An old lady, Madame Hsu, who was noted for her ability to prophesize by physiognomy, was so impressed by the appearance of Liu Pang that she prophesized a good fortune for the whole family. The legend associated with Liu Pang, that his killing of a white snake was lamented by a mysterious old lady as the act of killing the “Son of the White Emperor” by the “Son of the Red Emperor”, is very familiar. It is further related that Liu's wife never failed to locate his hideout because there was always a colorful haze and mist over it.
Temptation, the Ten Commandments and Today's Lawyers
Authors: Bash Anthony
Published: August 2016

Is there an ethical dimension to the practice of ecclesiastical law? The Law Society and the Bar Council prescribe professional standards of conduct, as do certain statutes. Adhering to statutory and professional standards is important for maintaining good order in the administration of the law and the legal system. But are there wider duties and responsibilities that involve more than accountability to God, who expresses his presence and identity in the ecclesial communities that ecclesiastical lawyers serve?
The Shock of Change: Continuity and Discontinuity in the Elizabethan Church Of England
Authors: Duffy Eamon
Published: August 2016

This paper questions accounts of the English Reformation which, in line with sometimes unacknowledged Anglo-Catholic assumptions, present it as a mere clean-up operation, the creation of a reformed Catholicism which removed medieval excesses but left an essentially Catholic Church of England intact. It argues instead that the Elizabethan reformers intended to establish a Reformed Church which would be part of a Protestant international Church, emphatic in disowning its medieval inheritance and rejecting the religion of Catholic Europe, with formularies, preaching and styles of worship designed to signal and embody that rejection. But Anglican self-identity was never simply or unequivocally Protestant. Lay and clerical conservatives resisted the removal of the remains of the old religion, and vestiges of the Catholic past were embedded like flies in amber in the Prayer Book liturgy, in church buildings, and in the attitudes and memories of many of its Elizabethan personnel. By the early seventeenth century influential figures in the Church of England were seeking to distance themselves from European Protestantism, and instead to portray the Church of England as a conscious via media between Rome and Geneva. In the hands of the Laudians and their followers, this newer interpretation of the Reformation was to prove potent in reshaping the Church of England's self-understanding.
Flogging Children with Religion: A Comment on the House of Lords' Decision inWilliamson
Authors: Langlaude Sylvie
Published: August 2016

On 24 February 2005 the House of Lords delivered a significant judgment on freedom of religion, parental rights to religious freedom, corporal punishment and children's rights. This paper examinesR (Williamson) v Secretary of State for Education and Employment. It argues that the House of Lords adopts a much more generous approach to freedom of religion or belief than the European Court of Human Rights. But it is also critical of the argument derived from children's rights.
Brain Imaging In Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Evidence for the Involvement of Frontal-Subcortical Circuitry in the Mediation of Symptomatology
Authors: Brody Arthur L. , Saxena Sanjaya
Published: August 2016

Recent brain-imaging studies have examined the neuroanatomy and pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Researchers have used computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging to look at brain structure and single-photon emission computed tomography and positron emission tomography scanning to look at brain function in OCD subjects. In this article, we review these studies and discuss their methodology. We then present a theoretical model derived from these studies for how the brain mediates OCD symptomatology.

Functional neuroimaging studies have pointed to hyperactivity of orbitofrontal-basal ganglionic–thalamic circuitry in patients with OCD. Our model posits an imbalance between the classical “direct” and “indirect” orbitofrontal–basal ganglionic–thalamic pathways in OCD subjects. The direct circuit appears to function as a positive feedback loop and may “capture” or “lock in” symptomatic OCD subjects. The indirect circuit, which usually provides tonic inhibition to the direct circuit, may be relatively weak.

Finally, we discuss how frontal-subcortical brain circuitry may be involved in other neuropsychiatric illnesses, and we describe how monoamines, such as serotonin and dopamine, may be involved in regulating these circuits in OCD and other illnesses.
Role of Norepinephrine in the Pathophysiology of Neuropsychiatric Disorders
Authors: Ressler Kerry J. , Nemeroff Charles B.
Published: August 2016

The concatenation of convergent lines of evidence from basic to clinical research continues to reveal that norepinephrine (NE) is a crucial regulator of a myriad of behaviors ranging from stress response to memory formation. Furthermore, many neuropsychiatric disorders involve neurocircuitry that is directly modulated by NE. This report summarizes the physiological roles of NE, as well as the main findings implicating a role for NE system dysfunction in mood and anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer's disease. In each of these disorders, there appears to be a complex dysregulation of NE function, with changes in locus ceruleus firing, NE availability, and both pre- and postsynaptic receptor regulation. Many symptoms of these disorders are attributable to abnormalities within distributed neural circuits regulated by NE. Appreciation of NE's role in modulating the neural circuitry mediating cognition and affect should help elucidate the pathophysiology of a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders and the development of novel treatments.
Insomnia Etiology and Comorbidity
Authors: Erman Milton K.
Published: August 2016

Insomnia is an extremely prevalent condition, affecting large segments of the population. There is a broad spectrum of risk factors for this disorder, most of which are various types of social, economic, or interpersonal stressors. Risk factors include age, female gender (especially post- and perimenopausal women), divorce/separation/widowhood, psychiatric illness (mood and anxiety disorders), medical conditions, cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, coffee consumption, and certain prescription drugs. It is important to recognize that the symptom of insomnia (ie, disturbed or poor quality sleep) may be due to the presence of another primary sleep disorder, such as restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movements in sleep, or sleep apnea.
Health Care System Changes to Improve Adherence and Long-Term Outcomes for Depressed Patients
Authors: Katon Wayne J.
Published: August 2016

Depression, which is increasingly regarded as a chronic condition, is associated with significant suffering, social and functional impairment, and an estimated $44 billion in direct and indirect costs annually in the United States. Despite this severe burden on the health care system, the management of depression remains suboptimal in primary care, where many depressed patients fail to receive adequate dosage and duration of treatment. Adherence to evidence-based guidelines, essential to improving outcomes, requires key structural changes to the US health care delivery system. Several health care models aimed at improving treatment adherence in patients with chronic illnesses have been evaluated in primary care settings with promising results. Those approaches that have been found to be effective advocate multifaceted collaborative interventions that target patients, families, physicians, and the organization of the health care system to improve adherence and depression outcomes. Enhancing education and the active participation of patients and their families are now considered important elements of interventions to improve adherence to the treatment of chronic illnesses, including depression.
Seven Deadly Sins and OCD
Authors: Stein Dan J.
Published: August 2016

The lumping together of the seven deadly sins—pride, covetousness, jealousy, sloth, lust, gluttony, and anger—is, of course, a theological categorization rather than a medical nosology. Nevertheless, these seven sins are oddly reminiscent of various symptoms of a common medical disorder—one that has received increasing neuroscientific investigation in recent years—obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Is such a parallel between sin and symptom purely coincidental, or is modern neurobiology able to provide a more coherent explanation?

Interestingly, the term “obsession” derives from the Roman Catholic concept of obsession—a state of being possessed by the devil. Indeed, obsessions—defined as recurrent intrusive and senseless thoughts and images—are some of the most overwhelming and distressing of psychiatric symptoms. While it is true that hallucinations and delusions lead to a loss of contact with reality, people with obsessions suffer from the very fact that they cannot resist ideas that they know full well to be irrational. Thus, OCD sufferers find themselves having to perform compulsions—recurrent rituals that relieve anxiety—but which are not realistically connected to the preceding obsessions or are clearly excessive.
The Role of Recent Life Events in the Onset of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Authors: Albert Umberto , Maina Giuseppe , Bogetto Filippo , Ravizza Luigi
Published: August 2016

Although many investigations into the onset of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) suggest the occurrence of potential life events as triggering factors, such an association has not been well studied to date. The purpose of the present paper is to review the literature on OCD onset in order to determine whether OCD is triggered by recent life events, what specific events may serve as triggers, and the clinical and research implications of these factors. Overall, the available studies do not consistently support the theory that OCD is triggered by specific antecedent life events. However, there is a body of evidence to support the theory that the specific life events of pregnancy and birth of a child can trigger OCD. This apparent association has led to the investigation of certain neurohormonal factors, including changes in estrogen or oxytocin levels, that may be of etiopathogenetic significance in OCD. Confirming such associations may allow clinicians to provide more targeted preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Towards an Integration of Psychological and Biological Models of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: Phylogenetic Considerations
Authors: Cohen Lisa J. , Stein Dan , Galynker Igor , Hollander Eric
Published: August 2016

In the past 10 to 15 years, advances in psychopharmacology and research on the neurobiological basis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have led to the currently predominant biological model of OCD. Nevertheless, the centrality of complex ideation in OCD supports the usefulness of a psychological approach.

In this article, we propose an integrated psychobiological model that presumes a biological etiology without assuming biological reductionism. We hypothesize that the relationship between biological and psychological organization is best explained in the context of emergent systems theory, and that the psychological meaning of OCD reflects development across phylogeny as opposed to ontogeny. Finally, we propose that OCD reflects disruption of a behavioral inhibition/harm assessment system that incorporates brain structures from different points across human phylogeny. Hence, complex psychological symptoms of a biological etiology are generated.
From Gilles de la Tourette's Disease to Tourette Syndrome: A History
Authors: Kushner Howard I.
Published: August 2016

Over the past century researchers have attributed the symptoms that today are labeled as Tourette syndrome to various etiologies. Although most investigators have accepted Gilles de la Tourette's initial description of a symptom complex of tics and involuntary vocalizations, most have rejected his claim that “tic disease” resulted from hereditary degeneration. Subsequent investigators have offered an array of contradictory etiological explanations including viewing these symptoms as a subset of choreas, a result of insufficient inhibition, a failure to control infantile habits, a sequel to encephalitis and other infections, or the result of unconscious psychosexual childhood conflict. With the advent of effective pharmacologic treatments in the 1960s, psychiatrists, often urged on by the parents of afflicted children, began to insist that the disorder resulted from organic factors, most likely connected to transmission of the neurotransmitter dopamine and signaling in the basal ganglia. Since the 1970s, research has focused on a variety of possible organic substrates, but disputes over which symptoms to include in the syndrome's phenotype continue to constrain efforts to locate its etiology.
DNA Microarrays for Polymorphism Detection and Genotyping: Utility in the Understanding of Complex Neuropsychiatric Diseases
Authors: Sklar Pamela , Altshuler David , Cargill Michele , Hirschhorn Joel N.
Published: August 2016

As the Human Genome Project completes the first human genome sequence, attention has turned to how this information can be used to understand disease. The availability of sequences for all genes will allow a comprehensive evaluation of each gene's contribution to disease. Approaches involving collecting specific gene variants and monitoring expression levels using DNA microarrays facilitate collecting information about DNA and RNA in a rapid and highly parallel manner. Developing an extensive catalogue of polymorphisms will become increasingly important in the context of studies of complex genetic diseases such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.