bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Purification and Functionalization of Single‐Walled Carbon Nanotubes through Different Treatment Procedures
Authors: Tsai Peir-An , Kuo Hsuan-Yuan , Chiu Wei-Ming , Wu Jyh-Horng
Published: February 2013

Single‐walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) were purified by the combined use of ultrasonic‐ and microwave‐assisted acid digestion. The results show that the method efficiently eliminates impurities, reduces solvent consumption, and prevents damage to the structure of the SWCNTs. The purified SWCNTs were given functionalization treatments with a nitric acid/sulfuric acid mixture. These acid‐treated SWCNTs (A‐SWCNTs) were then grafted with 3‐isocyanatopropyl triethoxysilane (A‐SWCNTs‐Si). The A‐SWCNTs and A‐SWCNTs‐Si were used to improve interfacial interactions with polymers and to produce a well‐dispersed SWCNT composite.
Global Epidemiology of Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Type a Disease: Do We Need a New Vaccine?
Authors: Ulanova Marina
Published: February 2013

Until recently, the significance of invasive disease caused by Haemophilus influenzae serotype a (Hia), in contrast to H. influenzae serotype b (Hib), has been largely underestimated. However, during the last decade, Hia was recognized as an important pathogen causing severe infections in young children with a high case-fatality rate comparable to Hib disease before the introduction of pediatric immunization against this infection. Remarkably, the highest incidence rates of invasive Hia disease have been found in some indigenous populations, such as North American Indians and Inuit of Alaska and Northern Canada, reaching the order of magnitude of the incidence rates of Hib in the pre-Hib vaccine era. The reasons for an increased susceptibility to Hia infection among some specific populations groups are unknown. The goal of this paper is to summarize the current knowledge on Hia global epidemiology and to discuss potential prevention of this infection using specific immunization.
Role of Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation on Track and Intensity of Severe Cyclonic Storms
Authors: Kanase Radhika D. , Salvekar P. S.
Published: February 2013

To examine the role of four dimensional data assimilation (FDDA) on prediction of two Severe Cyclonic Storm (Aila (May 23–26, 2009) andJal (Nov 4–8, 2010)), four numerical experiments are performed using WRF-ARW model with three nested domains having two-way interaction and physical parameterization schemes as CPS-BMJ, MP-WSM6, and PBL-YSU. In each experiment, the model integration is started prior to the formation of depression and continued till the observed landfall. For the experiment without FDDA, NCEP-FNL data alone is used as initial and boundary conditions and for the experiments with FDDA, additional observations are used. In all the experiments, FDDA is considered only in the outer domain upto 24 hrs of integration and then the inner domain is introduced. The results are examined in terms of surface circulation, vorticity, CSLP, MSW, and surface track error. FDDA-produced surface circulation and vorticity showed well-organized structure. For the case of Aila, the surface track (maximum track error: 281 km) and landfall position (88°E/21.73°N) in FDDA experiment are predicted better than experiment without FDDA (track error: 445 km and landfall position 87.13°E/20.37°N) whereas the landfall time experiment without FDDA is closer to observations (between 09 and 12 UTC of May 25) than that of experiment with FDDA(06 UTC of May 25). When CSLP and MSW are examined, the overall intensity is well predicted with FDDA experiment except near to the landfall time. For Jal cyclone, FDDA played significant role to improve the landfall position (80.16°E/13.67°N) with a time lead of ~10 hrs but other parameters remain more or less unchanged.
Thyroid Hormone Regulation of miR-21 Enhances Migration and Invasion of Hepatoma
Authors: Huang Ya-Hui , Lin Yang-Hsiang , Chi Hsiang-Cheng , Liao Chen-Hsin , Liao Chia-Jung , Wu Sheng-Ming , Chen Cheng-Yi , Tseng Yi-Hsin , Tsai Chung-Ying , Lin Sheng-Yen , Hung Yu-Ting , Wang Chih-Jen , Lin Crystal D. , Lin Kwang-Huei
Published: February 2013

Thyroid hormone (T3) signaling through the thyroid hormone receptor (TRα1) regulates hepatoma cell growth and pathophysiology, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear at present. Here, we have shown that the oncomir microRNA-21 (miR-21) is activated by T3 through a native T3 response element in the primary miR-21 promoter. Overexpression of miR-21 promoted hepatoma cell migration and invasion, similar to that observed with T3 stimulation in hepatoma cells. In addition, anti-miR-21–induced suppression of cell migration was rescued by T3. The Rac-controlled regulator of invasion and metastasis, T-cell lymphoma invasion and metastasis 1 (TIAM1), was identified as a miR-21 target additionally downregulated by T3. Attenuation and overexpression of miR-21 induced upregulation and downregulation of TIAM1, respectively. TIAM1 attenuation, in turn, enhanced migration and invasion via the upregulation of β-catenin, vimentin, and matrix metalloproteinase-2 in hepatoma cells. Notably, correlations between TRα1, miR-21, and TIAM1 expression patterns in animal models paralleled those observed in vitro. In the clinic, we observed a positive correlation (P = 0.005) between the tumor/nontumor ratios of TRα1 and miR-21 expression, whereas a negative correlation (P = 0.019) was seen between miR-21 and TIAM1 expression in patients with hepatoma. Our findings collectively indicate that miR-21 stimulation by T3 and subsequent TIAM1 suppression promotes hepatoma cell migration and invasion. Cancer Res; 73(8); 2505–17. ©2013 AACR.
Prospective Analysis of Body Mass Index, Physical Activity, and Colorectal Cancer Risk Associated with β-Catenin (CTNNB1) Status
Authors: Morikawa Teppei , Kuchiba Aya , Lochhead Paul , Nishihara Reiko , Yamauchi Mai , Imamura Yu , Liao Xiaoyun , Qian Zhi Rong , Ng Kimmie , Chan Andrew T. , Meyerhardt Jeffrey A. , Giovannucci Edward , Fuchs Charles S. , Ogino Shuji
Published: February 2013

Dysregulation of the WNT/β-catenin (CTNNB1) signaling pathway is implicated in colorectal carcinoma and metabolic diseases. Considering these roles and cancer prevention, we hypothesized that tumor CTNNB1 status might influence cellular sensitivity to obesity and physical activity. In clinical follow-up of 109,046 women in the Nurses' Health Study and 47,684 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, there were 861 incident rectal and colon cancers with tissue immunohistochemistry data on nuclear CTNNB1 expression. Using this molecular pathological epidemiology database, we conducted Cox proportional hazards regression analysis using data duplication method to assess differential associations of body mass index (BMI) or exercise activity with colorectal cancer risk according to tumor CTNNB1 status. Greater BMI was associated with a significantly higher risk of CTNNB1-negative cancer [multivariate HR = 1.34; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.18–1.53 for 5.0 kg/m2 increment; Ptrend = 0.0001] but not with CTNNB1-positive cancer risk (multivariate HR = 1.07; 95% CI, 0.92–1.25 for 5.0 kg/m2 increment; Ptrend = 0.36; Pheterogeneity = 0.027, between CTNNB1-negative and CTNNB1-positive cancer risks). Physical activity level was associated with a lower risk of CTNNB1-negative cancer (multivariate HR = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.87–1.00 for 10 MET-h/wk increment; Ptrend = 0.044) but not with CTNNB1-positive cancer risk (multivariate HR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.91–1.05 for 10 MET-h/wk increment; Ptrend = 0.60). Our findings argue that obesity and physical inactivity are associated with a higher risk of CTNNB1-negative colorectal cancer but not with CTNNB1-positive cancer risk. Furthermore, they suggest that energy balance and metabolism status exerts its effect in a specific carcinogenesis pathway that is less likely dependent on WNT/CTNNB1 activation. Cancer Res; 73(5); 1600–10. ©2012 AACR.
β-1,4-Galactosyltransferase III Enhances Invasive Phenotypes Via β1-Integrin and Predicts Poor Prognosis in Neuroblastoma
Authors: Chang Hsiu-Hao , Chen Chia-Hua , Chou Chih-Hsing , Liao Yung-Feng , Huang Miao-Juei , Chen Ya-Hsin , Wang Wei-Jen , Huang John , Hung Ji-Shiang , Ho Wan-Ling , Jeng Yung-Ming , Che Mei-Ieng , Lee Hsinyu , Lu Meng-Yao , Yang Yung-Li , Jou Shiann-Tarng , Lin Dong-Tsamn , Lin Kai-Hsin , Hsu Wen-Ming , Huang Min-Chuan
Published: February 2013

Purpose: Neuroblastoma (NB) is a neural crest-derived tumor that commonly occurs in childhood. β-1,4-Galactosyltransferase III (B4GALT3) is highly expressed in human fetal brain and is responsible for the generation of poly-N-acetyllactosamine, which plays a critical role in tumor progression. We therefore investigated the expression and role of B4GALT3 in NB.

Experimental Design: We examined B4GALT3 expression in tumor specimens from 101 NB patients by immunohistochemistry and analyzed the correlation between B4GALT3 expression and clinicopathologic factors or survival. The functional role of B4GALT3 expression was investigated by overexpression or knockdown of B4GALT3 in NB cells for in vitro and in vivo studies.

Results: We found that B4GALT3 expression correlated with advanced clinical stages (P = 0.040), unfavorable Shimada histology (P < 0.001), and lower survival rate (P < 0.001). Multivariate analysis showed that B4GALT3 expression is an independent prognostic factor for poor survival of NB patients. B4GALT3 overexpression increased migration, invasion, and tumor growth of NB cells, whereas B4GALT3 knockdown suppressed the malignant phenotypes of NB cells. Mechanistic investigation showed that B4GALT3-enhanced migration and invasion were significantly suppressed by β1-integrin blocking antibody. Furthermore, B4GALT3 overexpression increased lactosamine glycans on β1-integrin, increased expression of mature β1-integrin via delayed degradation, and enhanced phosphorylation of focal adhesion kinase. Conversely, these properties were decreased by knockdown of B4GALT3 in NB cells.

Conclusions: Our findings suggest that B4GALT3 predicts an unfavorable prognosis for NB and may regulate invasive phenotypes through modulating glycosylation, degradation, and signaling of β1-integrin in NB cells. Clin Cancer Res; 19(7); 1705–16. ©2013 AACR.
Aflibercept
Authors: Ciombor Kristen K. , Berlin Jordan , Chan Emily
Published: February 2013

Aflibercept, an intravenously administered anti-VEGF and antiplacental growth factor (PlGF) agent, has recently been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in combination with 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and irinotecan (FOLFIRI) for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer who have previously received an oxaliplatin-containing chemotherapy regimen. In the phase III VELOUR trial, aflibercept plus FOLFIRI statistically significantly prolonged both progression-free survival (PFS; median PFS for the aflibercept plus FOLFIRI arm was 6.90 vs. 4.67 months for the placebo-plus-FOLFIRI arm) and overall survival (median overall survival for the aflibercept-plus-FOLFIRI arm was 13.50 vs. 12.06 months for the placebo plus FOLFIRI arm), but grade 3 or 4 adverse events were more common with the addition of aflibercept. However, the addition of aflibercept to 5-fluorouracil, leucovorin, and oxaliplatin (mFOLFOX6) in the phase II AFFIRM trial of first-line treatment of mCRC failed to improve PFS or response rate. As a decoy VEGF receptor, aflibercept (VEGF-Trap) has binding affinity for VEGF-A, VEGF-B, PlGF-1, and PlGF-2, and this is a mechanism of significant interest. Optimal strategies for incorporating aflibercept into treatment regimens that include other anti-VEGF and cytotoxic chemotherapeutic agents, as well as development of predictive biomarkers for treatment response, have yet to be defined. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 1920–5. ©2013 AACR.
Phase II Trial of MEK Inhibitor Selumetinib (AZD6244, ARRY-142886) in Patients with BRAFV600E/K-Mutated Melanoma
Authors: Catalanotti Federica , Solit David B. , Pulitzer Melissa P. , Berger Michael F. , Scott Sasinya N. , Iyriboz Tunc , Lacouture Mario E. , Panageas Katherine S. , Wolchok Jedd D. , Carvajal Richard D. , Schwartz Gary K. , Rosen Neal , Chapman Paul B.
Published: February 2013

Purpose: Test the hypothesis that in BRAF-mutated melanomas, clinical responses to selumetinib, a MEK inhibitor, will be restricted to tumors in which the PI3K/AKT pathway is not activated.

Experimental Design: We conducted a phase II trial in patients with melanoma whose tumors harbored a BRAF mutation. Patients were stratified by phosphorylated-AKT (pAKT) expression (high vs. low) and treated with selumetinib 75 mg per os twice daily. Pretreatment tumors were also analyzed for genetic changes in 230 genes of interest using an exon-capture approach.

Results: The high pAKT cohort was closed after no responses were seen in the first 10 patients. The incidence of low pAKT melanoma tumors was low (∼25% of melanomas tested) and this cohort was eventually closed because of poor accrual. However, among the five patients with melanoma accrued in the low pAKT cohort, there was one partial response (PR). Two other patients had near PRs before undergoing surgical resection of residual disease (one patient) or discontinuation of treatment due to toxicity (one patient). Among the two nonresponding, low pAKT patients with melanoma, co-mutations in MAP2K1, NF1, and/or EGFR were detected.

Conclusions: Tumor regression was seen in three of five patients with BRAF-mutated, low pAKT melanomas; no responses were seen in the high pAKT cohort. These results provide rationale for co-targeting MEK and PI3K/AKT in patients with BRAF mutant melanoma whose tumors express high pAKT. However, the complexity of genetic changes in melanoma indicates that additional genetic information will be needed for optimal selection of patients likely to respond to MEK inhibitors. Clin Cancer Res; 19(8); 2257–64. ©2013 AACR.
FOX(M1) News—It Is Cancer
Authors: Halasi Marianna , Gartel Andrei L.
Published: February 2013

FOXM1 is an oncogenic transcription factor of the Forkhead family and it has a well-defined role in cell proliferation and cell-cycle progression. Expression of FOXM1 is excluded in quiescent or differentiated cells, but its level is highly elevated in proliferating and malignant cells. Overexpression of FOXM1 has been reported in more than 20 types of human cancer. In recent years, FOXM1 has been implicated in diverse cellular processes and also a growing body of experimental data has underlined the relevance of FOXM1 in tumorigenesis. Although FOXM1 is under the control of three major tumor suppressors (RB, p53, and p19ARF), it is still active in the majority of human cancers. The oncogenic potential of FOXM1 is mainly based on its ability to transcriptionally activate genes that are involved in different facets of cancer development. In this review, the contribution of FOXM1 to each of the hallmarks of cancer will be summarized and discussed. Mol Cancer Ther; 12(3); 245–54. ©2012 AACR.
Matrix Gla Protein is Involved in Crystal Formation in Kidney of Hyperoxaluric Rats
Authors: Lu Xiuli , Gao Bing , Yasui Takahiro , Li Yang , Liu Ting , Mao Xu , Hirose Masahito , Wu Yuhong , Yu Daojun , Zhu Qiwen , Kohri Kenjiro , Xiao Chunling
Published: February 2013

Background: Matrix Gla protein (MGP) is a molecular determinant regulating vascular calcification of the extracellular matrix. However, it is still unclear how MGP may be invovled in crystal formation in the kidney of hyperoxaluric rats. Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into the hyperoxaluric group and control group. Hyperoxaluric rats were administrated by 0.75% ethylene glycol (EG) for up to 8 weeks. Renal MGP expression was detected by the standard avidin-biotin complex (ABC) method. Renal crystal deposition was observed by a polarizing microscope. Total RNA and protein from the rat kidney tissue were extracted. The levels of MGP mRNA and protein expression were analyzed by the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Western blot. Results: Hyperoxaluria was induced successfully in rats. The MGP was polarly distributed, on the apical membrane of renal tubular epithelial cells, and was found in the ascending thick limbs of Henle's loop (cTAL) and the distal convoluted tubule (DCT) in hyperoxaluric rats, its expression however, was present in the medullary collecting duct (MCD) in stone-forming rats. Crystals with multilaminated structure formed in the injurious renal tubules with lack of MGP expression.MGP mRNA expression was significantly upregulated by the crystals' stimulations. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the MGP was involved in crystals formation by the continuous expression, distributing it polarly in the renal tubular cells and binding directly to the crystals.
Stereotactic Radiosurgery of a Papillary Tumor of the Pineal Region: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Riis Paul , van Eck Albertus T.C.J. , Dunker Helmut , Bergmann Markus , Börm Wolfgang
Published: February 2013

Background/Aims: Papillary tumors of the pineal region are a recently described very rare group of primary CNS neoplasms. Because of their rarity, it has proven to be difficult to establish the optimal therapy. Furthermore, microsurgical resection of pineal region neoplasms is associated with quite a high morbidity. We report the first case of stereotactic radiosurgery of a histologically confirmed papillary tumor of the pineal region. Methods: After establishing the diagnosis by stereotactic biopsy, the patient was treated with stereotactic radiosurgery in a Gamma Knife unit. Results: Five years after treatment, the tumor size is still decreasing, showing a good response to the treatment. Conclusions: Stereotactic radiosurgery should be considered a treatment option in these surgically challenging tumors.
A Defined-Multispecies Microbial Model for Studying Enamel Caries Development
Authors: Arthur R.A. , Waeiss R.A. , Hara A.T. , Lippert F. , Eckert G.J. , Zero D.T.
Published: February 2013

The aims of this study were to describe and validate an in vitro multispecies microbial biofilm model for caries development by evaluating the effects of varying medium concentration of sucrose (0.5 and 1.0%) and fluoride (0.4, 0.8 and 1.0 ppm F) in study 1, and calcium (1.0 and 2.0 mM Ca) in study 2. Defined-multispecies biofilms, formed by Lactobacillus casei, Streptococcus mutans, S. salivarius and S. sanguinis, were grown on the surface of salivary-pellicle-coated enamel slabs, with known baseline surface hardness; growth medium was changed daily. Counts of viable cells on biofilms and the percentage of surface microhardness change (%SMC), lesion depth (LD) and integrated mineral loss (IML) on enamel slabs were assessed after 4 days of biofilm formation under the tested conditions. Counts of viable cells on biofilms were significantly affected by sucrose, fluoride and calcium concentrations (p < 0.05). There was a decrease in %SMC in response to increased fluoride and calcium concentrations (p < 0.001). Lower IML (p < 0.001) and LD (p < 0.05) were found in the presence of 0.8 and 1.0 ppm F. A negative correlation was found between the response variables (%SMC, LD and IML) and fluoride and calcium concentrations. The results suggest that the microbial caries model developed was able to show distinct levels of caries inhibition in response to fluoride and calcium concentrations, corroborating clinical observations. An effect of sucrose concentration on caries development was found only in the presence of the lowest fluoride concentration.
Clinical Impact of Persistent Left Bundle-Branch Block After Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation With CoreValve Revalving System
Authors: Testa Luca , Latib Azeem , De Marco Federico , De Carlo Marco , Agnifili Mauro , Latini Roberto Adriano , Petronio Anna Sonia , Ettori Federica , Poli Arnaldo , De Servi Stefano , Ramondo Angelo , Napodano Massimo , Klugmann Silvio , Ussia Gian Paolo , Tamburino Corrado , Brambilla Nedy , Colombo Antonio , Bedogni Francesco
Published: February 2013

Background—

Conduction disturbances are relatively common after transcatheter aortic valve implantation. Previous data demonstrated an adverse impact of persistent left bundle-branch block (LBBB) after surgical aortic valve replacement. It is unclear whether new-onset LBBB may also impact the prognosis of patients after transcatheter aortic valve implantation.

Methods and Results—

Among 1060 patients treated with a CoreValve Revalving System transcatheter aortic valve implantation between October 2007 and April 2011 in high-volume centers in Italy, we analyzed those without LBBB or pacemaker at admission (879 patients [82.9%]). We further excluded those who underwent permanent pacemaker implantation within 48 hours after the procedure (61 patients [7%]), for a final study population of 818 patients. Among them, 224 patients (group A; 27.4%) developed a persistent LBBB and the remaining 594 (group B; 72.6%) did not. Clinical characteristics were similar between groups. A low implantation was significantly more frequent in group A (15% versus 9.8%,
P
=0.02). No patients were censored before 1 year (median follow-up period 438 days, interquartile range 174–798 days). Survival analyses and inherent log-rank tests showed that LBBB was not associated with higher all-cause mortality, cardiac mortality, or hospitalization for heart failure at 30 days or 1 year. At 30 days, but not at 1 year, group A had a significantly higher rate of pacemaker implantation.

Conclusions—

In this registry of high-volume centers, persistent LBBB after CoreValve Revalving System transcatheter aortic valve implantation showed no effect on hard end points. On the other hand, LBBB was associated with a higher short-term rate of pacemaker implantation.
Functional Role of the Corticoreticular Pathway in Chronic Stroke Patients
Authors: Jang Sung Ho , Chang Chul Hoon , Lee Jun , Kim Chung Sun , Seo Jeong Pyo , Yeo Sang Seok
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—

The corticoreticular pathway (CRP) is known to be an important extrapyramidal tract for walking ability. However, little is known about the functional role of the CRP in recovery of walking ability. We investigated relation between the CRP and walking ability in chronic hemiparetic stroke patients.

Methods—

Among 209 consecutive patients, 54 patients, who showed complete injury of the corticospinal tract (CST) in the affected hemisphere on diffusion tensor tractography, and 20 normal subjects were recruited. Functional ambulation category was used in measurement of walking ability. The fractional anisotropy value, apparent diffusion coefficient value, and fiber volume of the CRP and CST were used for the diffusion tensor imaging parameters.

Results—

In the affected hemisphere, no significant difference in diffusion tensor imaging parameters of the CRP was observed between patient subgroups. In the unaffected hemisphere, patients who were able to walk showed significantly increased fiber volume of the CRP, compared with patients who could not walk and normal control subjects (
P
<0.05), without significant difference in fractional anisotropy and apparent diffusion coefficient values. In addition, the fiber volume of the CRP in the unaffected hemisphere showed positive correlation with functional ambulation category (
P
<0.05). In contrast, diffusion tensor imaging parameters of the CST in the unaffected hemisphere showed no correlation with functional ambulation category (
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—

The increased fiber volume of the CRP in the unaffected hemisphere seems to be related to walking ability in patients with chronic stroke. Therefore, the compensation of the CRP in the unaffected hemisphere seems to be one of the mechanisms for recovery of walking ability after stroke.
Unassisted Assessment of Stroke Severity Using Telemedicine
Authors: Van Hooff Robbert-Jan , De Smedt Ann , De Raedt Sylvie , Moens Maarten , Mariën Peter , Paquier Philippe , De Keyser Jacques , Brouns Raf
Published: February 2013

Background and Purpose—

Quantification of stroke severity through telemedicine consultation is challenging and relies on professional support at the patient’s bedside. We aimed to develop a novel scale for assessing stroke severity through telemedicine without assistance from a third party (Unassisted TeleStroke Scale [UTSS]).

Methods—

Stroke severity was assessed in 45 patients with suspicion of acute stroke by bedside examination using the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and by teleconsultation using the UTSS. Scale reliability was evaluated by intrarater and interrater variability, internal consistency, and rater agreement. Concurrent and predictive validity were tested by relating the UTSS with the NIHSS and long-term outcome (modified Rankin Scale and mortality at 6 months). Clinimetric analysis of the UTSS was obtained via the Rasch model.

Results—

The mean examination time for the UTSS was 3.1 minutes (SD, 1.1) versus 8.5 minutes for the NIHSS (SD, 2.6;
P
<0.001). Both UTSS and NIHSS showed excellent intrarater variability (
r
=0.97 and 0.98;
P
<0.001) and interrater variability (
r
=0.96 and 0.98;
P
<0.001), as well as excellent internal consistency and rater agreement. The UTSS correlated strongly with the NIHSS and was identified as an independent predictor of stroke outcome in logistic regression analysis. Rasch analysis indicated that the UTSS represents a unidimensional scale of stroke severity.

Conclusions—

The UTSS is a rapid, reliable, and valid tool for unassisted assessment of stroke severity through telemedicine.
Assessing the Role of the Justice-of-the-Peace Courts in the Russian Judicial System
Authors: Hendley Kathryn
Published: February 2013

Justice-of-the-peace courts (JP courts) have been in operation for ten years in Russia. The article assesses the extent to which they have fulfilled the original policy goals of diverting mundane cases away from the raionnye (district) courts and making the legal system more accessible to ordinary citizens. Policy makers have repeatedly tinkered with their jurisdictional parameters in order to find a proper dividing point between the JP courts and the district courts. The caseload data document that the JP courts now handle almost all first-instance administrative cases, as well as about three-quarters of all civil cases. Their role in criminal justice is more constrained. Their success in processing huge numbers of cases is facilitated by the use of “judicial orders” (sudebnye prikazy) in many civil cases, and by the use of a type of plea bargaining (osoboe proizvodstvo) in criminal cases. Each of these procedural mechanisms obviates the need for a full hearing on the merits.
Unavailability: When Neighbors Become Strangers
Authors: Blundell Boyd
Published: February 2013

Richard Kearney’s Anatheism: Returning to God After God has hospitality to the stranger as one of its central features. This article traces the roots of such hospitality back through Kearney’s mentor Paul Ricoeur to Ricoeur’s own mentor, Gabriel Marcel. Marcel’s analysis of the role of abstraction in philosophical reflection leads him to propose a réflexion seconde as a means of avoiding the lure of the “spirit of abstraction.” Necessary to second reflection is the cultivation of the virtue Marcel calls “availability,” and it is in light of this elemental, though often elusive, ground for thinking and living that even the best ambitions of the hospitable wager are put to a strenuous test. The second part of the article takes up the case of post-Katrina New Orleans as a way of showing that in a consumerist and calculative society there is a default resistance to availability and therefore a severe handicap to entering even the most basic scene of hospitality. The intractable lack of availability thus rivals the otherwise provocative summons to the threshold of welcome, even where it concerns the neighbor. The anatheistic wager, though profound in its own right, will rarely be undertaken, and “available” inquiry thus faces a more elemental initial task.
Wonder-Horror
Authors: Howe Fanny
Published: February 2013

Michel de Certeau and his book, The Possession at Loudun, are the central subjects of this essay, in which the question of belief is addressed. Who can you believe and how? Is belief engendered by a person’s speech, facial expression, or gesture? The revolt of the nuns in Loudun, following the Plague, had, for Certeau, a theatrical dimension as if they were acting out an unexpressed failure of communication between the clergy and the people. Their mass dementia represented a cataclysmic change in social relations. Certeau found two people who spoke with a convincing clarity: Urbain Grandier from his prison cell and Joseph Surin, Jesuit, poet, and exorcist.
Reflections from the Bottom of a Brillo Box: A Theological Inquiry into the End(s) of Art
Authors: Elwell J. Sage
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This article asks after the theological import of the two end of art theses proposed by Arthur Danto and Donald Kuspit respectively. In tribute to the coming thirtieth anniversary of Arthur Danto’s essay “The End of Art” and the tenth anniversary of Donald Kuspit’s book The End of Art, I take up here their respective theories in an attempt to go beyond the surface of their ideas and to ask after the depth of the end(s) of art. Their theses point to a crisis of reflexivity in the respective artworlds they describe and that this crisis is the result of the loss and failed recovery of spiritual depth. Danto’s end of art thesis offers a truth that tells a lie—that there was never depth there to begin with—while Kuspit’s offers a lie that tells the truth—that that depth can be recovered. Danto’s thesis speaks to early postmodern art’s loss of spiritual depth while Kuspit’s addresses late postmodern art’s failure to recover that depth. Taken together, their ends of art present the lying-truth of an irretrievably lost sacred and the true-lie that the sacred in the arts can be recovered.
Uncommon Equivocation in Geoffrey Hill
Authors: Hart Kevin
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This essay considers Hill’s expression “common equivocation,” which he associates with Richard Hooker. The expression comes about as a response to Christopher Ricks’s admiration of T. S. Eliot’s Four Quartets. In that late poem Ricks finds that Eliot has confidence in clichés, “in their generous common humanity.” Hill responds by asking Ricks to think about how this expression would fare within the field of Hooker’s “common equivocation.” But what is “common equivocation?” Is Hill guilty of it as a poet? Or does he practice something else? I argue that he practices “uncommon equivocation.” Hooker thought that equivocation is a consequence of original sin. Hill believes in original sin, and his poetry is about its effects. This is the root of Hill’s “difficulty.” Yet “difficulty” is not just the opposite of ease; it is also hindrance to action. Hill’s best poems are often difficult in both senses.
Losing a Curious Christian Scroll but Gaining a Curious Christian Codex
Authors: Nongbri Brent
Published: February 2013

Abstract

British Library Pap. 2053 is a Greek papyrus fragment from Oxyrhynchus. Its two sides, written in distinctly different hands, were published separately in 1911 as P.Oxy. 8.1075 (Rahlfs 909, the last verses of Exodus) and P.Oxy. 8.1079 (P18, early verses of Revelation). The original editor of the piece, Arthur S. Hunt, described Pap. 2053 as part of a roll rather than a codex. He speculated that at some point after Exodus was copied along the fibers, the reverse was then reused for a copy of Revelation written against the fibers. I argue that, for at least three reasons, it is worth entertaining the possibility that Pap. 2053 is not part of a roll but rather a leaf from a codex. First, the amount of text and the format of the text on the papyrus are appropriate for a codex leaf. Second, we now have good evidence (unavailable to Hunt) for the existence of Christian codices with an eclectic mix of contents copied by different scribes. Third, when the back sides of rolls were reused, they were often rotated 180° such that the texts on the two sides of the papyrus were upside down relative to one another, rather than same-side-up, as the columns of Pap. 2053 are.
“As long as the heir is a child”
Authors: Goodrich John K.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Although Gal 4:1-2 has historically been interpreted as an analogy taken from Greco-Roman practices of guardianship and inheritance, an increasing number of scholars, following the initial proposal of James M. Scott, have interpreted the passage as an allusion to the exodus. Seeking to defend the conventional interpretation, this study identifies a number of significant verbal and conceptual parallels between Gal 4:1-2 and P.Ryl. 2.153, the mid-second-century C.E. will of a Hermopolite gentleman, thereby showing that Paul’s rhetoric of inheritance in Gal 4:1-2 resonates best within the metaphorical field of Roman guardianship and succession.
The ἄπιστοι of 2 Cor 6:14
Authors: Starling David
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Amongst defenders of the Pauline authorship of 2 Cor 6:14-7:1, an impasse exists between those who read the ἄπιστοι of v. 14 as a reference to the Gentile pagans of the city and those who read it as a reference to the “false apostles” of chs. 10-13. In this article I suggest a possible resolution of that impasse, based on a re-examination of the content and function of holiness concepts within 2 Corinthians. The ἄπιστοι in view are indeed the Gentile pagans of Corinth, but the principal issue over which Paul is urging the Corinthians to separate from them is the pagan σοφία σαρκική that has distorted their assessments of Paul and his opponents.
Analysis of the pathogenic variability and genetic diversity of the plant-parasitic nematode Radopholus similis on bananas
Authors: Plowright Richard , Dusabe Jolly , Coyne Daniel , Speijer Paul
Published: February 2013

Radopholus similis is responsible for huge production losses of banana in Uganda, where a large proportion of the population are reliant on cooking banana as their main staple crop. Assessment of the pathogenic and genetic variability of seven populations of R. similis originating from banana plantations in Uganda demonstrated that their virulence on Musa cultivars differed, displaying pathotype-like variation. Using RAPD and AFLP techniques the populations could be grouped into two putative genomic groups, which corresponded with R. similis relative pathogenicity. Most, but not all, populations were able to reproduce and damage roots on the two widely confirmed sources of resistance, Yangambi km5 and Pisang Jari Buaya. Studies using RAPD techniques furthermore revealed putative markers for nematode virulence. Variation in virulence of R. similis populations was also demonstrated at the regional (Africa) level. Phylogenetic analysis most closely associated the Uganda populations with populations from Sri Lanka, indicating their likely source of origin. However, genetic variability between Uganda populations also indicate that R. similis was probably introduced into Uganda on separate occasions from different sources, which may help to explain the causes of variability in banana decline in Uganda. The results of this study have clear implications for the development and deployment of sustainable nematode management practices based on the use of resistance, which could help underpin ongoing management initiatives.
Isolation, bioassay and characterisation of Xenorhabdus sp. SY5, a highly virulent symbiotic bacterium of an entomopathogenic nematode isolated from China
Authors: Wang Huan , Dong Hui , Qian Haitao , Xia Runxi , Cong Bin
Published: February 2013

The entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN), together with their symbiotic bacteria, are obligate and lethal parasites of insects and are applied as biological approaches to pest management. In this paper, we isolated 122 strains of symbiotic bacteria from 23 EPN isolates that were gathered in various soils containing different vegetations from different regions of China. All these isolated bacterial strains showed oral insecticidal activity and/or growth inhibition to the larvae of Ostrinia furnacalis. Among these strains, Xenorhabdus sp. SY5 exhibited high insecticidal activity to O. furnacalis, Plutella xylostella, Mythimna separata, Laphygma exigua and Tenebrio molitor, all of which are important agricultural pests. Xenorhabdus sp. SY5 was isolated from EPN Steinernema sp. SY5. Through DEAE-52 column chromatography, seven toxins were purified from X. sp. SY5. Bioassay results showed that all seven toxins had, to a certain extent, insecticidal activity and/or growth inhibition to O. furnacalis, T. molitor, P. xylostella, M. separata and L. exigua. Our data also showed that each of these toxins had different insecticidal activity and/or growth inhibition against different insect species. The partial toxin gene sequence of X. sp. SY5 was determined, and its deduced amino acid sequence only showed 75, 66 and 65% identities to homologues of EPN symbiotic bacteria Photorhabdus luminescens, Xenorhabdus nematophila and Yersinia mollaretii, respectively. These results suggested that strain SY5 is a highly virulent EPN symbiotic bacterial strain that has a potential value for biological pest control.
Scandals as a Positive Feature of Liberal Democratic Politics: A Durkheimian perspective
Authors: Brenton Scott
Published: February 2013

Abstract

Political scandals are an indicator of freedom of speech, an open and aggressive media and strong political competition. Émile Durkheim’s ideas on social cohesion have a particular resonance in liberal democracies, and raise the question of whether scandals can only occur in liberal democracies. Scandals enable an interrogation of the collective moral code and public opinion is used to punish the “deviant” behaviour of politicians, who are elevated to a symbolic position of moral authority. This form of non-violent social conflict between competing political groups performs a positive role in maintaining a healthy and vigilant democracy, albeit with the presence of some negative side-effects, such as incursions into the private sphere.
Fetishism Revisited: In the Animistic Lens of Eco-pneumatology
Authors: Bergmann Sigurd
Published: February 2013

Abstract

In the context of ecological destruction and the emergence of numerous eco-spiritualities the challenge for Christian theology is to address the question: Where does the Spirit, who liberates nature, take place today? This is addressed in three sections: In a first section pneumatology is revisioned as ecological soteriology while the Spirit is portrayed as a giver and liberator of life. In a second section it is suggested that the doctrine of the Spirit may be reinterpreted in the context of the spatial turn of theology in terms of faith in the Spirit’s inhabitation. The third and concluding section offers an argument for an ecological pneumatology in synergy with animism, an approach which investigates the critical potentials of resisting and overcoming the fetishism of late modern capitalism.
Sin and Ecology: A Conversation with Jürgen Moltmann and the School of René Girard
Authors: Fensham Charles
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This essay will compare the approaches of Jürgen Moltmann and René Girard and those who follow his social criticism, in the light of the need for an ecological reinterpretation of the nature of sin. Sin, and the doctrine of original sin in the Western tradition goes to the very basis of the Christian story and the concept gospel. Good news is there to address bad news. In turn, the story of good news in the Christian tradition requires a thorough exploration of bad news. The need for an ecologically sound harmartiology begs the question of ktisiology and the very nature of ‘God the Father Creator of heaven and earth’. It leads us to ask: Why is the Christian faith a salvific faith? Why redemption and what is it?
What Makes the World Go Round? Some Reformed Perspectives on Pneumatology and Ecology
Authors: Conradie Ernst M.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This contribution explores the available literature on pneumatology and ecology. It suggests the need to articulate the underlying question to which Christian pneumatology may be regarded as a response, namely in terms of ‘What makes the world go round?’ Moltmann’s recent notion of a “hermeneutics of nature” is used to suggest the possibility of a pneumatology ‘from below’. However, the theological inadequacy of available proposals on such a pneumatology from below is also noted. This suggests the need for deeper pneumatological discernment.
Leaders in Faith-Based Organizing Networks
Authors: Daley Patti , Bell Ryan J. , Banout Anthony , Currie Jonathan
Published: February 2013

Abstract

As well as including articles from four research scholars and extracts from two key texts on organizing in the USA, the editors invited leaders from four of the major organizing networks—Industrial Areas Foundation (IAF), Pacific Institute for Community Organization (PICO), Gamaliel and Interfaith Worker Justice (IWJ)—to contribute to this special issue from their perspective as organizers. Two of the leaders are pastors and two write from their viewpoint as national staff workers with faith-based networks. All four contributors were asked to reflect on their experience of organizing in local communities and across the nation; to consider what for them are the most important theological and theoretical issues.
Introduction to the Special Issue on Faith-Based Organizing in the USA
Authors: Day Katie
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This article serves as an introduction to faith-based community organizing and to this special issue of IJPT. First, an overview of the history of community organizing in the US includes introductions to the key figures (Saul Alinsky and Ed Chambers), organizing networks and methods currently employed. Then current challenges to community organizing are explored, such as technology, gender and race. Further, the rigid distinction between broad-based and issue organizing is challenged. Finally, the article notes that the impact of Barack Obama’s background as a community organizer on political discourse has raised the profile of this form of social mobilization, and it is reframing the questions raised for public theologians as community organizing moves into the future.
‘Go to the ant, you lazybones’ (NRSV, Prov. 6:6): The Church and Nonhuman Animals in the World
Authors: Barton Matthew
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This article engages with the ecclesiology of Stanley Hauerwas in considering the relationship of church to world within the broader context of God’s creation, which includes nonhuman as well as human animals. In conversation with Hauerwas, an evaluation of understandings of ‘world as creation’ and ‘world as fallen’ gives rise to a new understanding of world, as a public of responsible beings. This understanding produces three questions: what does it mean for nonhuman animals to be perceived by the church as part of the world, how are we justified in advancing such a perception and what are the implications of this? In answering these questions, two distinct classes of responsibility are recognized: animal responsibility, shared by human and nonhuman animals; and responsibility to God, unique to humans. In having responsibility, animals are part of the world to which the church is called to respond; and in responding, to learn as well as to witness.
Christian Scripture and Public Theology: Ruminations on their Ambiguous Relationship
Authors: Neville David J.
Published: February 2013

Abstract

This article explores the relatively neglected topic of the role of Scripture in public theology. It proffers a provisional taxonomy of approaches to relating Scripture to public theology, with a view to demonstrating that there are various ways in which Scripture and Scripture scholarship play a vital role in public theology, broadly construed. It then discusses in more detail three of the eight approaches, focusing especially on recent works by Gerd Theissen and Paul Hanson, and illustrating the value of inner-biblical critique for public theology with reference to the themes of violence and justice.
Fascism—National Socialism—Arab “Fascism”: Terminologies, Definitions and Distinctions
Authors: Scholtyseck Joachim
Published: February 2013

Because certain movements in the Arab world of the 1930s and 1940s showed similarities to Mussolini’s and Hitler’s regimes, historians have drawn comparisons with the fascist and National Socialist dictatorships. But not even those arguing for the concept of a “generic fascism” are able to wholeheartedly subsume these movements under their fascist rubric. Fascism and National Socialism evolved in Europe, were shaped by the mood at the fin de siècle, became effective after the First World War in a unique political, social, economic and cultural atmosphere, and only lost their appeal in 1945 at the conclusion of the Second World War. They flourished in industrialized societies and aimed—in novel and twisted ways—at reversing the liberalization of 19th-century Europe. They emphasized power, national rebirth, military order and efficiency; and they were, in the case of Germany, driven by anti-Semitism and racism, resulting in totalitarian rule with genocidal consequences. National-socialist and fascist movements and regimes required the atmosphere and culture of liberal democracy as a foil—and liberal democracy was virtually nonexistent in the Near and Middle East. The preconditions for fascism were thus lacking. Colonial rule was still in place, traditional culture still prevailed in these mainly rural societies, and their small bourgeois parties showed greater allegiance to their clans than to liberal and secular ideologies.
Iran’s Policy towards Jewish Iranians and the State of Israel. Is the Present Iranian State Islamofascist?
Authors: Amirpur Katajun
Published: February 2013

Ever since his inauguration in 2005, Iranian president Maḥmūd Aḥmadīnezhād keeps the world on its toes with his attacks against Israel. One could easily come to the conclusion that anti-Semitism and a hostile attitude towards Jews are deeply rooted in Iranian society. Moreover one could assume that the present Iranian state has to be called Islamofascist. To come to a sounder judgment, this article looks at the situation of the Jewish Iranians—present and past—and asks how the different regimes, before as well as after the revolution, treated the Jewish minority. Iran counting today some 25,000 Jews harbors the biggest Jewish community in the Middle East with the evident exception of the State of Israel.