bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beta3‐adrenoceptors in the rat sacral spinal cord and their functional relevance in micturition under normal conditions and in a model of partial urethral obstruction
Authors: Füllhase Claudius , Soler Roberto , Westerling‐Andersson Kristian , Andersson Karl‐Erik
Published: June 2011

Aims

Beta3‐adrenoceptor selective agonists are evaluated as a new treatment for patients with lower urinary tract symptoms . It is believed that β3‐AR selective agonists exert their effects via a peripheral site of action. However, β3‐ARs have been found in brain tissue. This study examined whether β3‐ARs are present in rat sacral spinal cord, and whether there are differences in β3‐AR expression between normal and partial urethral obstruction (PUO) animals, and furthermore assessed the functional relevance of spinal β3‐ARs for micturition.

Methods

Thirty‐eight male Sprague–Dawley rats underwent either PUO or sham‐operation. Two weeks after operation, half of the animals were used for histomorphological analysis. Remaining animals were used for functional experiments, where a β3‐AR selective agonist, BRL 37344, was given intrathecally. Bladder function was assessed by continuous cystometry in non‐anesthetized animals before and after drug administration.

Results

Beta3‐ARs were found in sacral spinal cord segments with an accumulation in the ventral horn. There was a significant increase of β3‐AR expression in obstructed rats. In functional experiments obstructed rats showed increased bladder weight, micturition frequency, spontaneous activity, and bladder pressures (all P < 0.05) compared to controls. Intrathecally administered BRL 37344 showed no effect in non‐obstructed rats. In obstructed rats intrathecal BRL 37344 significantly reduced bladder pressures, spontaneous activity, and micturition frequency (all P < 0.05).

Conclusions

Beta3‐ARs are present in rat sacral spinal cord, and are significantly up‐regulated after PUO. Besides their well‐established peripheral site of action in the treatment of voiding dysfunction, β3‐AR selective agonists might exert relevant effects at a central nervous site of action. Neurourol. Urodynam. 30:1382–1387, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Detecting OAM&P design defects using a feature interaction approach
Authors: Chentouf Zohair
Published: June 2011

In the telecommunications service engineering world, the feature interaction (FI) problem is defined as the situation in which running services at the same time undesirably alters their behaviour. It is also known as the service interaction problem. FIs may occur between various types of services, ranging from signalling protocol features to value‐added end‐user services. The problem has been widely investigated for those types of services. However, sufficient attention has not been paid to operation, administration, management and provisioning (OAM&P) features like creating a new customer account or registering a new gateway as part of the network. The present paper addresses the detection of OAM&P FIs in Internet telephony architectures. The solution consists in an adapted version of a known FI detection method. A simple feature modelling language and an FI detection procedure are proposed. A validation with a case study is also reported. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Increased midkine expression correlates with desmoid tumour recurrence: a potential biomarker and therapeutic target
Authors: Colombo Chiara , Creighton Chad J , Ghadimi Markus P , Bolshakov Svetlana , Warneke Carla L , Zhang Yiqun , Lusby Kristelle , Zhu Shirley , Lazar Alexander J , West Robert B , de Rijn Matt van , Lev Dina
Published: June 2011

Desmoid tumours (DTs) are soft tissue monoclonal neoplasms exhibiting a unique phenotype, consisting of aggressive local invasiveness without metastatic capacity. While DTs can infrequently occur as part of familial adenomatosis polyposis, most cases arise sporadically. Sporadic DTs harbour a high prevalence of CTNNB1 mutations and hence increased β‐catenin signalling. However, β‐catenin downstream transcriptional targets and other molecular deregulations operative in DT inception and progression are currently not well defined, contributing to the lack of sensitive molecular prognosticators and efficacious targeted therapeutic strategies. We compared the gene expression profiles of 14 sporadic DTs to those of five corresponding normal tissues and six solitary fibrous tumour specimens. A DT expression signature consisting of 636 up‐ and 119 down‐regulated genes highly enriched for extracellular matrix, cell adhesion and wound healing‐related proteins was generated. Furthermore, 98 (15%) of the over‐expressed genes were demonstrated to contain a TCF/LEF consensus binding site in their promoters, possibly heralding direct β‐catenin downstream targets relevant to DT. The protein products of three of the up‐regulated DT genes: ADAM12, MMP2 and midkine, were found to be commonly expressed in a large cohort of human DT samples assembled on a tissue microarray. Interestingly, enhanced midkine expression significantly correlated with a higher propensity and decreased time for primary DT recurrence (log‐rank p = 0.0025). Finally, midkine was found to enhance the migration and invasion of primary DT cell cultures. Taken together, these studies provide insights into potential DT molecular aberrations and novel β‐catenin transcriptional targets. Further studies to confirm the utility of midkine as a clinical DT molecular prognosticator and a potential therapeutic target are therefore warranted. Raw gene array data can be found at: http://smd.stanford.edu/ Copyright © 2011 Pathological Society of Great Britain and Ireland. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Quantitative proteomics by 2‐DE, 16O/18O labelling and linear ion trap mass spectrometry analysis of lymph nodes from piglets inoculated by porcine circovirus type 2
Authors: Ramírez‐Boo María , Núnez Estefania , Jorge Inmaculada , Navarro Pedro , Fernandes Lana T. , Segalés Joaquim , Garrido Juan J. , Vázquez Jesús , Moreno Ángela
Published: June 2011

Porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2) has been identified as the essential causal agent of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome. However, little is known regarding the mechanism(s) underlying the pathogenesis of PCV2‐induced disease and the interaction of the virus with the host immune system. Here, we present a proteomics study on inguinal lymph nodes of piglets inoculated with PCV2, in order to better understand the pathogenesis of postweaning multisystemic wasting syndrome and the pathways might be affected after infection. We used two proteomics strategies, 2‐DE and 1‐DE followed by 16O/18O peptide labelling and peptide identification and quantification by MS. More than 100 proteins were found to be differentially regulated and the results obtained by the two strategies were fairly concordant but also complementary, the 18O labelling approach being a more robust alternative. Analysis of these proteins by systems biology tools revealed the implication of acute phase response and NrF2‐mediated oxidative stress, suggesting a putative role for these pathways in the pig immune response. Besides, CD81 was found to be up‐regulated, suggesting a possible role in the internalization of the virus. The use of proteomics technologies together with biology analysis systems opens up the way to gain more exhaustive and systematic knowledge of virus–pathogen interactions.
Regional distribution of neuroendocrine cells in the urogenital duct system of the male rat
Authors: Aumüller Gerhard , Doll Andreas , Wennemuth Gunther , Dizeyi Nishtman , Abrahamsson Per‐Anders , Wilhelm Beate
Published: June 2011

BACKGROUND

Neuroendocrine (NE) cells are frequently present in the human prostate and urethra, whereas they are lacking in the other urogenital organs. This study was undertaken as there are only few detailed studies available on the distribution, form and function of NE cells and the structure of excretory ducts of the accessory sex organs in the male rat.

METHODS

Systematic gross anatomical dissections were combined with immunohistochemical and electron microscopic studies of the excretory ducts of the urogenital glands in male rats, with particular focus on the distribution and ultrastructure of the NE cells.

RESULTS

The topography and structure of the excretory ducts of the different glands were characterized in detail and analyzed for the distribution of NE cells. These are present (in falling frequencies) in the ducts of seminal vesicles and ventral and lateral prostate and are rare in ducts of coagulating gland, dorsal prostate, urethral epithelium, and excretory ducts of the (bulbo) urethral glands. They are absent in the respective glands proper, the deferent duct and ejaculatory ampulla. Approximately 40% of the NE cells of the ventral prostate ducts are of the “open” type, whereas these are less frequent (14%) in the seminal vesicle ducts, where the “closed” type prevails.

CONCLUSIONS

NE cells are present in unequal quantities in the excretory ducts of the accessory sex glands, but they are absent in the glands proper and the deferent ducts. This distribution pattern points to a strictly localized function and differentiation potency of NE precursor cells. Prostate 72:326–337, 2012. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Migration of Mineral Oil into Noodles from Recycled Fibres in the Paperboard Box and the Corrugated Board Transport Box as well as from Printing Inks: A Case Study
Authors: Biedermann Maurus , Ingenhoff Jan‐Erik , Barbanera Martino , Garbini Davide , Grob Koni
Published: June 2011

From the toxicological evaluation of mineral oils as used in offset printing inks by the Joint Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations/World Health Organization Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA), a specific migration limit of 0.6 mg/kg in food can be derived. Experimental packs for taglioline (fine noodles) were investigated, aiming at respecting this limit. This ended with four conclusions. First, during the 65 day test (shelf life of 2 years), the transport box of corrugated board contaminated the bottom packs in the box with 6.1 mg/kg mineral oil saturated hydrocarbons (MOSH) and had the potential of contaminating all the 10 packs on average at about 10 mg/kg. Second, the migration from an improved recycled paperboard (five times less mineral oil than average) still amounted to 4.9 mg/kg, indicating that optimization of recycling is not promising to respect the 0.6 mg/kg limit. Third, a printing ink containing 3 g/kg MOSH (about 100 times less than conventional offset inks) still contaminated the taglioline with 0.6 mg/kg MOSH. Finally, the taglioline were contaminated with 2.5 mg/kg MOSH already before packing, illustrating that there are other sources of mineral oil violating the 0.6 mg/kg limit. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Diagnostic and impact studies of a wavelet formulation of background‐error correlations in a global model
Authors: Varella Hubert , Berre Loïk , Desroziers Gérald
Published: June 2011

A wavelet formulation on the sphere is being considered for modelling heterogeneous background‐error correlations for the Météo‐France global numerical weather prediction (NWP) model. This approach is compared with the operational spectral formulation, which is horizontally homogeneous to a large extent. Diagnostic studies have been conducted to examine geographical variations of three‐dimensional correlations over the whole globe. Results indicate that the contrast between relatively broad horizontal correlations in the Tropics and sharp ones in midlatitudes is well represented by the wavelet formulation. Heterogeneities in vertical correlations are also better captured in the wavelet approach than in the spectral one, with visible changes as functions of e.g. latitude and land/sea contrasts. In addition, wavelet‐based correlation estimates are shown to be partly sensitive to the choice of the calibration period. The impact of the wavelet formulation on the forecast quality has been investigated during a three‐week calibration period, and also during the following three weeks. While the impact of the wavelet formulation is globally positive during the two periods, it tends to be more spectacular during the calibration time interval, as expected. These results indicate that an on‐line calibration should be considered in the future, in order to exploit fully the ability of wavelets to extract correlation heterogeneities from ensemble data. Copyright © 2011 Royal Meteorological Society
Assessment of effects of the rising atmospheric nitrogen deposition on nitrogen uptake and long‐term water‐use efficiency of plants using nitrogen and carbon stable isotopes
Authors: Yao F. Y. , Wang G. A. , Liu X. J. , Song L.
Published: June 2011

This study assesses the effects of the atmospheric nitrogen (N) deposition on the N uptake and the long‐term water‐use efficiency of two C3 plants (Agropyron cristatum and Leymus chinensis) and two C4 plants (Amaranthus retroflexus and Setaria viridis) using N and C stable isotopes. In addition, this study explores the potential correlation between leaf N isotope (δ15N) values and leaf C isotope (δ13C) values. This experiment shows that the atmospheric N deposition has significant effects on the N uptake, δ15N and leaf N content (Nm) of C3 plants. As the atmospheric N deposition rises, the proportion and the amount of N absorbed from the simulated atmospheric deposition become higher, and the δ15N and Nm of the two C3 plants both also increase, suggesting that the rising atmospheric N deposition is beneficial for C3 plants. However, C4 plants display different patterns in their N uptake and in their variations of δ15N and Nm from those of C3 plants. C4 plants absorb less N from the atmospheric deposition, and the leaf Nm does not change with the elevated atmospheric N deposition. Photosynthetic pathways may account for the differences between C3 and C4 plants. This study also shows that atmospheric N deposition does not play a role in determining the δ13C and in the long‐term water‐use efficiency of C3 and C4 plants, suggesting that the long‐term water‐use pattern of the plants does not change with the atmospheric N input. In addition, this study does not observe any relationship between leaf δ15N and leaf δ13C in both C3 and C4 plants. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluation of combined matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry experiments for peptide mass fingerprinting analysis
Authors: da Silva David , Wasselin Thierry , Carré Vincent , Chaimbault Patrick , Bezdetnaya Lina , Maunit Benoît , Muller Jean‐François
Published: June 2011

Peptide Mass Fingerprinting (PMF) is still of significant interest in proteomics because it allows a large number of complex samples to be rapidly screened and characterized. The main part of post‐translational modifications is generally preserved. In some specific cases, PMF suffers from ambiguous or unsuccessful identification. In order to improve its reliability, a combined approach using matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOFMS) and matrix‐assisted laser desorption/ionization Fourier transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (MALDI‐FTICRMS) was evaluated.

The study was carried out on bovine serum albumin (BSA) digest. The influence of several important parameters (the matrix, the sample preparation method, the amount of the analyte) on the MOWSE score and the protein sequence coverage were evaluated to allow the identification of specific effects. A careful investigation of the sequence coverage obtained by each kind of experiment ensured the detection of specific peptides for each experimental condition.

Results highlighted that DHB‐FTICRMS and DHB‐ or CHCA‐TOFMS are the most suited combinations of experimental conditions to achieve PMF analysis. The association (convolution) of the data obtained by each of these techniques ensured a significant increase in the MOWSE score and the protein sequence coverage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Metabolomic investigation of cholestasis in a rat model using ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry
Authors: Aoki Masayo , Konya Yutaka , Takagaki Takeshi , Umemura Koji , Sogame Yoshihisa , Katsumata Takashi , Komuro Setsuko
Published: June 2011

Metabolomics follows the changes in concentrations of endogenous metabolites, which may reflect various disease states as well as systemic responses to environmental, therapeutic, or genetic interventions. In this study, we applied metabolomic approaches to monitor dynamic changes in plasma and urine metabolites, and compared these metabolite profiles in Eisai hyperbilirubinemic rats (EHBR, an animal model of cholestasis) with those in the parent strain of EHBR – Sprague‐Dawley (SD) rats – in order to characterize cholestasis pathophysiologically. Ultra‐performance liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry‐based analytical methods were used to assay metabolite levels. More than 250 metabolites were detected in both plasma and urine, and metabolite profiles of EHBR differed from those of SD rats. The levels of antioxidative and cytoprotective metabolites, taurine and hypotaurine, were markedly increased in urine of EHBR. The levels of many bile acids were also elevated in plasma and urine of EHBR, but the extent of elevation depended on the particular bile acid. The levels of cytoprotective ursodeoxycholic acid and its conjugates were markedly elevated, while that of cytotoxic chenodeoxycholic acid remained unchanged, suggesting the balance of bile acids had shifted resulting in decreased toxicity. In EHBR, reduced biliary excretion leads to increased systemic exposure to harmful compounds including some endogenous metabolites. Our metabolomic data suggest that mechanisms exist in EHBR that compensate for cholestasis‐related damage. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
On fitting generalized linear mixed‐effects models for binary responses using different statistical packages
Authors: Zhang Hui , Lu Naiji , Feng Changyong , Thurston Sally W. , Xia Yinglin , Zhu Liang , Tu Xin M.
Published: June 2011

The generalized linear mixed‐effects model (GLMM) is a popular paradigm to extend models for cross‐sectional data to a longitudinal setting. When applied to modeling binary responses, different software packages and even different procedures within a package may give quite different results. In this report, we describe the statistical approaches that underlie these different procedures and discuss their strengths and weaknesses when applied to fit correlated binary responses. We then illustrate these considerations by applying these procedures implemented in some popular software packages to simulated and real study data. Our simulation results indicate a lack of reliability for most of the procedures considered, which carries significant implications for applying such popular software packages in practice. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Statistics of shape
Authors: Small Christopher G.
Published: June 2011

This article reviews various statistical methods that are available for the analysis of the shapes of images or objects. Statistical shape analysis is too large a topic to be reviewed in full. So, this review concentrates on shape analysis by means of landmarks, and in particular on the representation of landmark shapes on manifolds that was proposed by D. G. Kendall. The use of Kendall shape analysis on landmarks is briefly contrasted with alternative ways of representing and analyzing shapes. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 428–433 DOI: 10.1002/wics.173

This article is categorized under:

Applications of Computational Statistics > Computational Mathematics
WinBUGS: a tutorial
Authors: Lykou Anastasia , Ntzoufras Ioannis
Published: June 2011

The reinvention of Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods and their implementation within the Bayesian framework in the early 1990s has established the Bayesian approach as one of the standard methods within the applied quantitative sciences. Their extensive use in complex real life problems has lead to the increased demand for a friendly and easily accessible software, which implements Bayesian models by exploiting the possibilities provided by MCMC algorithms. WinBUGS is the software that covers this increased need. It is the Windows version of BUGS (Bayesian inference using Gibbs sampling) package appeared in the mid‐1990s. It is a free and a relatively easy tool that estimates the posterior distribution of any parameter of interest in complicated Bayesian models. In this article, we present an overview of the basic features of WinBUGS, including information for the model and prior specification, the code and its compilation, and the analysis and the interpretation of the MCMC output. Some simple examples and the Bayesian implementation of the Lasso are illustrated in detail. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 385–396 DOI: 10.1002/wics.176

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Bayesian Methods and Theory

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)

Software for Computational Statistics > Software/Statistical Software
Permutation methods
Authors: Berry Kenneth J. , Johnston Janis E. , Mielke Paul W.
Published: June 2011

Permutation tests are a paradox of old and new. Permutation tests pre‐date most traditional parametric statistics, but only recently have become part of the mainstream discussion regarding statistical testing. Permutation tests follow a permutation or ‘conditional on errors’ model whereby a test statistic is computed on the observed data, then (1) the data are permuted over all possible arrangements of the data—an exact permutation test; (2) the data are used to calculate the exact moments of the permutation distribution—a moment approximation permutation test; or (3) the data are permuted over a subset of all possible arrangements of the data—a resampling approximation permutation test. The earliest permutation tests date from the 1920s, but it was not until the advent of modern day computing that permutation tests became a practical alternative to parametric statistical tests. In recent years, permutation analogs of existing statistical tests have been developed. These permutation tests provide noteworthy advantages over their parametric counterparts for small samples and populations, or when distributional assumptions cannot be met. Unique permutation tests have also been developed that allow for the use of Euclidean distance rather than the squared Euclidean distance that is typically employed in parametric tests. This overview provides a chronology of the development of permutation tests accompanied by a discussion of the advances in computing that made permutation tests feasible. Attention is paid to the important differences between ‘population models’ and ‘permutation models’, and between tests based on Euclidean and squared Euclidean distances. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 527–542 DOI: 10.1002/wics.177

This article is categorized under:

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Bootstrap and Resampling

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Nonparametric Methods

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Robust Methods
Statistical learning theory: a tutorial
Authors: Kulkarni Sanjeev R. , Harman Gilbert
Published: June 2011

In this article, we provide a tutorial overview of some aspects of statistical learning theory, which also goes by other names such as statistical pattern recognition, nonparametric classification and estimation, and supervised learning. We focus on the problem of two‐class pattern classification for various reasons. This problem is rich enough to capture many of the interesting aspects that are present in the cases of more than two classes and in the problem of estimation, and many of the results can be extended to these cases. Focusing on two‐class pattern classification simplifies our discussion, and yet it is directly applicable to a wide range of practical settings. We begin with a description of the two‐class pattern recognition problem. We then discuss various classical and state‐of‐the‐art approaches to this problem, with a focus on fundamental formulations, algorithms, and theoretical results. In particular, we describe nearest neighbor methods, kernel methods, multilayer perceptrons, Vapnik–Chervonenkis theory, support vector machines, and boosting. WIREs Comp Stat 2011 3 543–556 DOI: 10.1002/wics.179

This article is categorized under:

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Clustering and Classification

Statistical and Graphical Methods of Data Analysis > Nonparametric Methods

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Pattern Recognition

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Knowledge Discovery

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Support Vector Machines

Statistical Learning and Exploratory Methods of the Data Sciences > Neural Networks
Regulation of Phosphatidic Acid Levels in Trypanosoma cruzi
Authors: Gimenez Alba Marina , Santander Verónica S. , Villasuso Ana L. , Pasquaré Susana J. , Giusto Norma M. , Machado Estela E.
Published: June 2011

Lipid kinases and phosphatases play essential roles in signal transduction processes involved in cytoskeletal rearrangement, membrane trafficking, and cellular differentiation. Phosphatidic acid (PtdOH) is an important mediator lipid in eukaryotic cells, but little is known regarding its regulation in the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, an agent of Chagas disease. In order to clarify the relationship between PtdOH metabolism and developmental stages of T. cruzi, epimastigotes in culture were subjected to hyperosmotic stress (~1,000 mOsm/L), mimicking the environment in the rectum of vector triatomine bugs. These experimental conditions resulted in differentiation to an intermediate form between epimastigotes and trypomastigotes. Morphological changes of epimastigotes were correlated with an increase in PtdOH mass accomplished by increased enzyme activity of diacylglycerol kinase (DAGK, E.C. 2.7.1.107) and concomitant decreased activity of phosphatidate phosphatases type 1 and type 2 (PAP1, PAP2, E.C. 3.1.3.4). Our results indicate progressive increases of PtdOH levels during the differentiation process, and suggest that the regulation of PtdOH metabolism is an important mechanism in the transition from T. cruzi epimastigote to intermediate form.
The role of postoperative furosemide therapy in the treatment of pleural effusion following kyphosis/scoliosis surgery
Authors: Vora Vagmin , Crawford Alvin
Published: June 2011

Purpose

Retrospective analysis of data to determine if the use of postoperative furosemide therapy decreases the incidence of thoracocentesis in children and adolescents undergoing kyphosis or scoliosis surgery. One of the potential complications seen in patients undergoing scoliosis or kyphosis surgery is the development of a clinically symptomatic postoperative pleural effusion requiring thoracocentesis, which is an invasive procedure that is associated with discomfort to the patient and a minimal risk of an iatrogenic pneumothorax.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed the medical records and X-rays of 190 patients who had undergone corrective surgery for AIS/kyphosis. All patients underwent an ASF or an APSF or a PSF with a minimum 3 level costoplasty. We compared the rate of thoracocentesis in group 1 (no furosemide; 161 patients) to that in group 2 (furosemide; 29 patients). Follow-up chest radiographs were evaluated for a decrease or resolution of the effusion.

Results

In group 1, 26 out of the 161 patients required thoracocentesis (16%); in group 2, only 1 out of the 29 patients underwent thoracocentesis (3.4%).

Conclusions

Postoperative furosemide in patients who undergo significant pleural manipulation during spinal deformity surgery may decrease the incidence of clinically symptomatic pleural effusion requiring thoracocentesis. This study represents a true trend; however, a high level of significance can only be achieved by performing a larger randomized controlled study.
LANDAU’S THEOREM AND MARDEN CONSTANT FOR HARMONIC ν-BLOCH MAPPINGS
Authors: CHEN SH. , PONNUSAMY S. , WANG X.
Published: June 2011

Our main aim is to investigate the properties of harmonic ν-Bloch mappings. Firstly, we establish coefficient estimates and a Landau theorem for harmonic ν-Bloch mappings, which are generalizations of the corresponding results in Bonk et al. [‘Distortion theorems for Bloch functions’, Pacific. J. Math.179 (1997), 241–262] and Chen et al. [‘Bloch constants for planar harmonic mappings’, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.128 (2000), 3231–3240]. Secondly, we obtain an improved Landau theorem for bounded harmonic mappings. Finally, we obtain a Marden constant for harmonic mappings.
ON VERBAL SUBGROUPS IN RESIDUALLY FINITE GROUPS
Authors: CALDEIRA JHONE , SHUMYATSKY PAVEL
Published: June 2011

The following theorem is proved. Let m, k and n be positive integers. There exists a number η=η(m,k,n) depending only on m, k and n such that if G is any residually finite group satisfying the condition that the product of any η commutators of the form [xm,y1,…,yk ] is of order dividing n, then the verbal subgroup of G corresponding to the word w=[xm,y1,…,yk ] is locally finite.
A Problem for Theology: The Concept of Nature
Authors: Kaufman Gordon D.
Published: June 2011

The growing general awareness that the order of nature within which man lives is a delicate ecological balance — a balance which cannot be indiscriminately exploited by men much longer without destroying the continuing possibility of human life — has not been without repercussions among theologians. There is an increasing attentiveness to nature as a theological problem and an interest in developing theologies of ecology and conservation. In addition there appears to be a growing belief that the theological focus on “history” in recent years has been extravagant or even entirely misplaced: it has turned attention in theology away from the natural world, which is “our real home”; it has led to a theological ignoring of the natural sciences and has thus helped to isolate theology from some of the most important and influential streams of human learning in modern culture; and it has contributed to and mightily re-enforced man's sense of self-importance and insularity, for history is preeminently the human story, and the “God of history” seems principally involved in transactions with men (although of course he is said to be the creator and father of all). What we need, we are told, is a “theology of nature” that will enable us to understand the orders of life and being within which we live and of which we are part, and even a “natural theology” that will illuminate for us, and teach us properly to worship, the God implicit in nature.
From Friar Paul to Friar Raymond: The Development of Innovative Missionizing Argumentation
Authors: Chazan Robert
Published: June 2011

During the middle decades of the thirteenth century, the leadership of the Roman Catholic Church committed itself to a program of extensive missionizing. While converting the infidels had always been a professed ideal of the Church, rarely were significant resources allocated for a serious effort in that direction. Now, with western Christendom increasingly disillusioned with the prospect of military subjugation of Islam and increasingly confident over the rationality of its cause, ideological victory over its enemies seemed both preferable and achievable. Just as it had once called forth armies for the military crusade, now western Christendom organized its institutional and intellectual forces for a new confrontation. The Dominican and Franciscan orders became the shock troops in this battle: schools for training missionaries were organized; handbooks of argumentation were composed. The total effort was broad and impressive.
James Cone and the Problem of a Black Ethic
Authors: Williams Preston N.
Published: June 2011

James Cone is without question the leading proponent of Black theology in America. His books, articles, and lectures have exercised great influence inside and outside the black community. Thus far, however, Cone has not explicitly stated his theological ethic, although much of significance for ethics is embedded in his works. It will be our purpose in this short essay to stimulate him and others to articulate the ethical aspects of his theology. Our aim, then, is to set forth what we believe to be the ethic implicit in his first two books, Black Theology and Black Power and Liberation: A Black Theology of Liberation. Our essay will be critical in nature and will attempt to deal with theoretical questions.
The Universal Perspective and Moral Development
Authors: Lovin Robin W.
Published: June 2011

Every decision, from trivial considerations of where to have lunch to the momentous conclusion that it is right to risk life for the realization of some ideal, is made by a man who has personal interests, group loyalties, and his own preferences and aversions. In many practical decisions, such as choosing an investment portfolio or inviting guests to a party, we expect these particular interests to play a role in guiding the choices. By contrast, we are suspicious of a moral decision if personal preferences or limited loyalties may have played a role in the choice. We tend to discount a man's analysis of the demands of justice if it corresponds too closely to his own interests, and someone who urges us to value precisely those things which will bring him personal profit is apt to receive a short hearing.
The Theologies of Commandment in Biblical Israel
Authors: Levenson Jon D.
Published: June 2011

Critical scholarship on the Hebrew Bible a hundred years ago held a much lower estimation of the role of law in the religion of ancient Israel and of the value of biblical law than do scholars today. Julius Wellhausen, for example, whose work was the most influential of the nineteeth century, maintained that in its creative period, Israel had no law, but only “usage and tradition” which “were looked on to a large extent as the institution of the Deity.” Thus, the prophets, whom Wellhausen stressed, did not preach out of any legal tradition in his view, but rather “out of the spirit which judges all things and itself is judged of no man.” In their canonical shape, however, the materials ancient Israel bequeathed us are so strongly nomistic that even Wellhausen could not deny that at a certain point law became central, displacing the spirit. That point marks the transition from Israelite religion to something new called “Judaism,” which is distinguished by the idea of a written Torah. Judaism, in Wellhausen's theory, represents the senility of Israel, for “a body of traditional practice should only be written down when it is threatening to die out, and … a book should be, as it were, the ghost of a life which is closed.” This transition from usage to codified law reflects a fundamental change in the nature of the relationship of God and Israel, a change from a purely natural relationship to one of covenant.
Apocryphal and Canonical Gospels
Authors: Koester Helmut
Published: June 2011

The problem addressed in this paper is implied in the title. The terms “apocryphal” and “canonical” reflect a traditional usage which implies deep-seated prejudices and has had far-reaching consequences. Any standard dictionary, like Merriam-Webster, will explain the term “apocryphal” as “not canonical; unauthentic; spurious.” The synonyms are listed under “fictitious,” i.e., “invented or imagined rather than true and genuine,” and the term “apocryphal” is explained here as follows: “implies a mysterious or extremely dubious source of origin.”
Pauline Worship as Seen by Pagans
Authors: Smith Morton
Published: June 2011

In Jesus the Magician I argued that the earliest pagan reports of persecutions of Christians—those in Suetonius, Tacitus, and Pliny the younger—indicate that the persecutors believed the Christians were practicing magic. Here I want to explain their belief by reviewing the eariest evidence for Christian congregational practices and indicating how these practices would have been understood by the ancient Christians' neighbors. This does not imply that there were not other grounds for the persecutors' belief. Magic seems to have figured in the charges for which Jesus was condemned; it certainly was prominent in the propaganda against his cult that was spread by rival Jewish groups. Such propaganda doubtless shaped the expectations with which many outsiders viewed early Christianity, and people are apt to see what they expect to see. Nevertheless, Pliny's famous letter shows that Roman authorities sometimes tried to get beyond rumor to the facts. Accordingly we should ask what the facts would have looked like to men of the Greco-Roman world in the late first and early second centuries, a world in which magic was practiced on all levels of society and almost universally believed to be effective. As “the facts” we may take, with some reservations, the evidence about Christian congregations to be found in Paul's relatively unquestioned letters—Romans, Corinthians, Galatians, or Philippians, and Philemon.
Human Community as Holy Rite: An Interpretation of Confucius' Analects
Authors: Fingarette Herbert
Published: June 2011

The remarks which follow are aimed at revealing the magic power which Confucius saw, quite correctly, as the very essence of human virtue. And it is finally by way of the magical that we can also arrive at the best vantage point for seeing the holiness in human existence which Confucius saw as central. In the twentieth century, this central role of the holy in Confucius' teaching has been largely ignored because we have failed to grasp the existential point of that teaching.
Oral and Written Transmission Some Considerations
Authors: Ahlström G. W.
Published: June 2011

The discussion about “oral tradition” in Israel seems to have yielded at least one result, namely, that scholars now talk about traditions rather than sources. This is certainly very often to be preferred, because we really do not know what sources have been used in the composition of a given text, and the text itself is, of course, also a source. It should be pointed out that the word “tradition” can be seen under three main aspects: first, denoting a “literary” tradition — written or not — such as a saga, legend, law, prophetical oracle, myth, psalm, etc.; second, signifying the growth of these smaller unities of traditions as they are handed down by some circle of tradents, priests, disciples of prophets, scribes, minstrels, etc.; and third, denoting the way of doing something, of living, the traditional way of thinking. In discussing oral and written tradition in the Old Testament we deal mostly with the two first aspects. One of the main emphases in the discussion has been the technique of handing down the traditions through generations, though this cannot be separated from the literary tradition itself. The concern of this article will then be with this technique, the transmission.
Trapezomata: A Neglected Aspect of Greek Sacrifice
Authors: Gill David
Published: June 2011

Introduction. Bloodless offerings of the most various kinds of food are a common and well-known feature of Greek sacrifice at all periods. The Greeks themselves thought of them as gifts for the gods (Plato, Euthyphr. 14c). The gift was delivered by simply putting it in a place, usually a shrine, where the god was present to receive it. This form of consecration has been given the appropriate technical name of “deposition,” to distinguish it from other methods of consecrating food-offerings to the gods — such as burning them or simply throwing them away.
The Theology of Cruelty: A New Look at the Rise of Arminianism in Eighteenth-Century New England
Authors: Chamberlain Ava
Published: June 2011

With the growth of Arminianism in the post-Awakening period, a decisive move away from Puritan orthodoxy occurred in New England. In this article I shall map the contours of this movement, using as my guide a recent work of the political theorist, Judith Shklar. In her book Ordinary Vices, Shklar describes the rise of Enlightenment thought in the West as primarily a shift in value structures. As a result of this shift from the moral universe defined by the seven deadly sins to one defined by the “ordinary vices,” traditional political, moral, and religious systems were viewed from a new perspective. From this perspective it was possible to perceive in these systems a deeply entrenched cruelty. I shall argue that Shklar's analysis can be fruitfully applied to changing trends in religious thought that were wrought by the Enlightenment in America. Specifically, I shall argue that the rise of Arminianism and the general liberalization of Christianity in eighteenth-century New England were informed by a perception, created by the influx of Enlightenment values into the colonies, of the systemic cruelty of the body of doctrine traditionally maintained by orthodox Puritan divines.
Immortality: Experience and Symbol
Authors: Voegelin Eric
Published: June 2011

Immortality is one of the language symbols engendered by a class of experiences to which we refer as the varieties of religious experience. This term is perhaps no longer the technically best one but it has the advantage of a great precedent, especially here at Harvard. Hence, its use will be convenient to secure, I hope, a common and immediate understanding about the subject-matter of inquiry.
An Hebrew Polemical Treatise: Anti-Cathar and Anti-Orthodox
Authors: Talmage Frank
Published: June 2011

TheMilḥemet Ḥobah (Obligatory War), a collection of polemical treatises published at Constantinople in 1710, contains a tract entitled “Disputation of Rabbi David Kimhi” (Wikuaḥ ha-Ra-DaḲ). The ascription of this work to Kimhi has been a subject of some discussion. J. D. Eisenstein, who published the text in his anthology,Oẓar Wikuḥim, and Salo Baron have apparently accepted it as genuine without reservations. Suler in his article in theEncyclopedia Judaicaconsidered it to be basically the work of Kimhi with interpolations. On the other hand, A. Geiger and L. Finkelstein have completely rejected the possibility of Kimhi's authorship. None of these authorities has brought support for his conclusions.
Johann Christian Edelmann's Idea of Jesus
Authors: Grossmann Walter
Published: June 2011

In this paper I will attempt to describe the Jesus-image of Johann Christian Edelmann (1698–1767), primarily as he drew it in his Abgenöthigtes Jedoch Andern nicht wieder aufgenöthigtes Glaubens-Bekentniss, published at Neuwied in 1746. This description should also help to show Edelmann's place in the history of eighteenth-century German writings on the life of Jesus, and to demonstrate how English Deistic and Spinozistic ideas on Jesus were received in Germany during this period.
“Let the Dead Bury Their Own Dead”; Secondary Burial and Matt 8:21–22
Authors: McCane Byron R.
Published: June 2011

New Testament interpreters have long puzzled over the meaning of the saying, “Let the dead bury their own dead” (Matt 8:22; Luke 9:60), and although many ingenious solutions have been proposed, none has been generally convincing. It is surprising that Jewish burial practices have not been brought into this discussion. For the burial practices of first-century Jews in Palestine are well known: many tombs have been carefully excavated, and several rabbinic texts explicitly discuss the care of the dead. Yet this information has never (to my knowledge) been brought to bear on Matt 8:21–22. In this paper, I propose that secondary burial, a widespread burial custom among Jews in first-century Palestine, can solve the riddle of these verses. Against the background of secondary burial, both the meaning of the disciple's question and the force of Jesus' response become clear. In particular, it is not necessary to suppose, as many interpreters do, that Jesus was talking about the “spiritually” dead. On the contrary, if the references to the dead are taken literally, the saying sounds both ironic and eschatological.
Synagogue and Society in Imperial Ostia: Archaeological and Epigraphic Evidence
Authors: White L. Michael
Published: June 2011

This study presents and analyzes evidence for the social location and organization of Jewish groups in the environs of Rome, specifically from the port city of Ostia. Scholars have generally recognized that the presence of a thriving Jewish community in Rome, as elsewhere in the eastern Mediterranean, is a crucial element to understanding developments in the Christian movement throughout the first centuries CE. Such discussions have become more common in recent studies. Still, one will look long and hard in New Testament and early Christian studies to find direct discussion of the primary data for the Jewish communities of metropolitan Rome.
The “Catechetical” School of Early Christian Alexandria and Its Philonic Heritage
Authors: van den Hoek Annewies
Published: June 2011

For centuries, the so-called catechetical school in Alexandria has intrigued scholars and stimulated speculation on its origins and early practices. The relationship of this school to Jewish-Hellenistic antecedents has made the problem doubly fascinating. Hypotheses about the school, however, have sometimes far exceeded the limits of the scanty information surviving in ancient authors, who themselves had incomplete evidence for their reconstructions. Without presenting here yet another theory on the school's early configuration, one must offer some kind of assessment before drawing Philo into the discussion, since his relation to the school obviously presents an extra complication.
Producing Descent/Dissent: Clement of Alexandria's Use of Filial Metaphors as Intra-Christian Polemic
Authors: Buell Denise Kimber
Published: June 2011

In the second century, Christians vied with each other to produce an authoritative discourse on Christian identity. Some early Christians deployed historically- and culturally-specific notions of procreation and kinship in their struggles with each other over claims to represent the truth of Christian biblical interpretation, practices, and doctrine. The extant writings of the late second-century Christian author Clement of Alexandria offer a generous range of contexts for exploring the nuances of this practice. This study comprises one facet of a larger investigation into early Christian use of procreative and kinship imagery in discourses about Christian identity in the second century CE.
Plato's Language of Love and the Female
Authors: Finkelberg Margalit
Published: June 2011

In the course of his talk on Eros, the first in theSymposium, Phaedrus embarks on a demonstration of the ability of love to prompt people to noble and courageous deeds. Although the context of the discussion of love in theSymposiumis primarily homosexual, “the most remarkable feature” of Phaedrus's speech, as William K. C. Guthrie puts it, is that the exemplary figure illustrating his thesis is a woman. Alcestis, the wife of Admetus king of Therae, was the only one among her husband's relatives who volunteered to die in his stead: